Author(s): Jennnifer Rock
Mentor(s): Alex Cromwell
Institution UTech
The involvement of caregivers in mental health treatment plans has been shown to increase positive patient outcomes. However, there is still resistance on the part of providers to initiate involvement with caregivers. Barriers to the involvement of caregivers have been researched, but solutions to these barriers are lacking in scholarly literature. The aim of this study was to explore solutions to previously identified barriers to the involvement of caregivers in mental health treatment plans. This study focused only on the perspective of mental health service providers. A qualitative interpretivist approach was used consisting of semi-structured interviews of mental health service providers. Data was analyzed using a hybrid approach to incorporate barriers identified by past research as well as integrate new information obtained throughout the interview process. The majority of providers identified barriers similar to those identified in previous research such as resistance from the patient, availability of the caregiver, high provider caseloads, and lack of provider training in family dynamics. There was also one commonly identified barrier in previous research, HIPAA, that was not considered to be a significant barrier for the providers I interviewed. Many solutions were presented by providers including: utilizing and enhancing effective communication with caregivers, increasing the availability of caregiver resources with an emphasis on support groups, and policy changes to decrease workload for providers. This study has added to the research on solutions to barriers experienced by providers in the involvement of caregivers in mental health treatment planning. It has also suggested that providers may be evolving their methods to work more effectively within the boundaries presented by HIPAA. Research on the provider/caregiver relationship should continue in order for providers to remain informed on methods being utilized by other practitioners to work effectively with caregivers.