Developing, designing and deploying a perinatal mental health referral pathway

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Abstract

Mental health nurses have the skills to collaborate with primary health providers, work side-by-side with tertiary health providers, and provide support and information to those who experience mental health difficulties and their families. But how do we communicate this? How do we make it easy for referrers and consumers to find the ‘best fit’ for identified needs? How do we promote collaborative care? How do we reach our audience?

This poster presentation is the third iteration of a referral pathway that has undergone the usual quality improvement measures of consultation and review. The poster is also a showcase for collaboration: the content was gathered in collaboration with service providers and consumers; this information was then organised, revised and presented in collaboration with a graphic designer; the completed pathway was then deployed, reviewed and made accessible in collaboration with a web designer.

This perinatal mental health referral pathway does not purport to be a template for others, but may serve as one example of how to develop, design and deploy accessible information about local service options. The poster presentation hopes to serve as a starting point for those who are interested in articulating a service’s relationship to the consumer and other agencies. The poster also demonstrates a clinically relevant use for Quick Response (QR) Code – please bring your smart phone if you intend to view the perinatal mental health referral pathway.

NB: This 2011 Version is redundant. NOT for clinical use. Please use only as an example.

Printable/downloadable PDF version here: referralpathwayworkflow2011

Reference/Citation

McNamara, P., Horn, F. & Dalzell, M. (2012) Developing, designing and deploying a perinatal mental health referral pathway. Poster presented at ‘The fabric of life’, the 38th Annual International Conference of the Australian College of Mental Health Nursing, Darwin. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1447-0349.2012.00878.x

or, if you want to cite/see the journal entry

McNamara, P., Horn, F. & Dalzell, M. (2012) Developing, designing and deploying a perinatal mental health referral pathway. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, volume 21, issue S1, pages 16-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1447-0349.2012.00878.x

Notes

This flowchart first began to be mapped-out in 2010, the version above was finalised in November 2011, and presented at a mental health nursing conference in October 2012. The workflow and the position that developed/supported it became redundant in 2013.

My versions were smudged pencil on paper versions. Freya Horn, now working as Graphic Artist at www.designerinyourpocket.com.au, turned it into the legible and attractive flowchart you see above. Thanks Freya!

There is some optimism about money flowing back in to perinatal mental health services in Australia. With that in mind, I’m releasing this old work from my USB drive to my website. Hopefully it will save others wasting time “reinventing the wheel”. Updating the wheel will be required, of course, but there’s no need to start from scratch. 🙂

Just to reiterate: This 2011 Version is redundant. It is NOT for clinical use. Please use only as an example for how you/your local service may want to might develop a map of the local referral pathway and workflow.

End

That’s it. Hopefully this will be of interest/use to someone in future.

As always, your feedback is welcome via the comments section below.

Paul McNamara, 14th June 2018

Short URL: meta4RN.com/pathway

2018 ACMHN Consultation Liaison / Perinatal Infant Mental Health Conference on Twitter

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The 16th ACMHN Consultation Liaison Special Interest Group annual conference, held in conjunction with the 7th ACMHN Perinatal Infant Mental Health Special Interest Group annual conference, was held at the Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital from Wednesday 6 June to Friday 8 June 2018. The theme of the conference was “The Art of Applying the Science: Consultation Liaison and Perinatal & Infant Mental Health Nurses in Action”. As is typical of healthcare conferences, a conference hashtag was announced; #ACMHN was used on Twitter by six of the fifty-ish conference participants.

One of the observations made by Martin Salzmann-Erikson in his paper Mental health nurses’ use of Twitter for professional purposes during conference participation using #ACMHN2016 was that conference participants who do not engage with Twitter may feel that they’re excluded from a “privileged backchannel” of communication. On one hand this is complete nonsense. No conference participants are excluded from Twitter. Those who do not use Twitter/the conference hashtag are just exercising a choice. On the other hand, they may not be using Twitter and/or a conference hashtag simply because they have not been exposed to a reason to do so. It is with the latter in mind that the Tweets using the #ACMHN hashtag over the course of the conference are collated below.

#ACMHN Tweets

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#ACMHN Tweeps

If you’ve scanned through the content above you’ll see that two Tweeps (ie: people who use Twitter) generated the vast majority of the #ACMHN Tweets. It’s not obvious from a quick glance, but many of the #ACMHN Tweets were retweeted (ie: shared). Seventeen Tweeps used/retweeted the #ACMHN hashtag 167 times over the course of the conference [data source], they are:
Cynthia Delgado @Cyn4CLMH*
Kim Foster @FostKim*
#HELLOMYNAMEISBJ @FewingsBj*
Anabel de la Riva @AnabeldelaRiva*
Chris Egginton @ChrisEgginton*
NWMH Graduate Nurses @NWMHgrads*
Peta Marks @petamarks*
Sharene Duncan @brisequine*
Chelesee @Chelesee1*
Veriti @Veritihealth*
A/Prof Rhonda Wilson @RhondaWilsonMHN*
Australian College of Mental Health Nurses @ACMHN*
Melissa Sweet @croakeyblog*
#HelloMyNameIs Kenny (RN) @kennygibsonnhs*
International Network of Nurse Leaders @inNurseLeaders*
Dr. Anja K. Peters @thesismum*
Paul McNamara [me] @meta4RN*
Key
* #ACMHN conference delegates [n = 6]
* Australian #ACMHN retweeters [n = 7]
* International #ACMHN retweeters [n = 4]

Many thanks to all who shared conference info with the #ACMHN hashtag. Thanks also to those who commented on/interacted with Tweets using the hashtag, but did not use the hashtag themselves (these Tweeps are not listed above).

Final Notes

  1. Each of my Tweets that announced a workshop or presentation were pre-scheduled using Hootsuite (ie: I wasn’t as busy Tweeting during the conference as it seems).
  2. Collating Tweets on a web page is irritatingly time-consuming. It used to be much quicker and easier (missing you Storify!). The upside of collating Tweets on a web page is that they serve as a record/brief notes of the conference, so if I need to come back to anything it’s all in one easy-to-find place.  Hopefully others will find it of interest too.
  3. Just in case you skipped-over it: watching the vid attached to Tweet 92 is definitely worth it – a highlight of the conference!
  4. Previous visitors to meta4RN.com may be experiencing a sense of déjà vu. To rid yourself of spooky feels, visit this same-same-but-different companion piece:
    #ACMHN Looking back at the 2013 Consultation Liaison / Perinatal Infant Conference through a Social Media Lens meta4RN.com/noosa 

End

That’s it. Thanks for visiting. As always your thoughts and feedback are welcomed in the comments section below.

Paul McNamara, 10th June 2018

Short URL: meta4RN.com/Brisneyland

 

Diabetes and Emotional Health

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This page is in support of an education session I’m doing at EXPOsing diabetes Cairns on Saturday 9th June 2018.

About

EXPOsing diabetes is a one-day educational event for people living with type 1 and 2 diabetes.

This event will equip you with the knowledge you need to live well with diabetes.

The day consists of interactive and engaging presentations from health professionals who work closely in the area of diabetes. You will come away from the day feeling more confident, motivated and more empowered to live well with your diabetes.
[Source: www.diabetesqld.org.au/get-involved/what’s-on/2018/june/exposing-diabetes-cairns.aspx]

Intro

Paul McNamara is a Fellow of the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses. He has been working in Cairns since 1995. Paul’s day job is providing mental health support and education to general hospital patients and staff.

Presentation

The presentation itself can be accessed via prezi.com/user/meta4RN or by clicking on the image below:


Key Messages, References + Further Info

The session is an oral presentation, so I don’t intend to replicate all of the content here.

Collated below are some of the key messages of the presentation, the references/evidence I’ve used, and how to access further info.

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“It’s a Fine Line” – Myth vs Reality meta4RN.com/fineline
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About 20% of us will experience mental health problems in any given year [source: 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing].

About 45% of us will experience mental health problems in our lifetime [source: 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing].

Up to half of us with diabetes will experience mental health problems in our lifetime [source: Diabetes Australia].

Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems [source: Mindframe].

Depression, anxiety and other mental problems are usually multifactorial. A good way to understand this is to consider the biopsychosocial model of mental health [source: Engel 1977].

Australia has introduced the idea of “stepped care” to respond to mental health matters [source: Northern Queensland Primary Health Network].

For information about prevention or early intervention with mental health problems, often the “best fit” will be online info via headtohealth.gov.au and/or via one of the apps available via the same website [source: Northern Queensland Primary Health Network].

If the online/app route doesn’t help, or if you’re experiencing symptoms of mental health difficulties, you should chat with your GP about it. S/he will discuss treatment and support options with you, which may include medication and/or referral to one of the local speciality services. It’s a good idea to book a longer appointment with your GP to discuss mental health stuff: neither you or your GP will want to feel rushed [source: Northern Queensland Primary Health Network].

If the above options haven’t helped, the mental health problem is complex, severe or urgent, it’s outside of business hours, and/or your questions would best be answered by a local specialist mental health professional, phone the Cairns Acute Care Team on 1300 64 2255 (1300 MH CALL) [source: Queensland Health].

End

Many thanks to Claire Massingham, Events Coordinator @ Diabetes Queensland for inviting me to present at EXPOsing diabetes Cairns. Thanks also to Endocrinologist Dr Luke Conway for making the suggestion to Claire.

A quick clarification: although this web page has info about how to access mental health support, it’s my personal web site. I can’t offer direct support or referrals from here. Please access further info and/or support via the options listed above.

That said, I welcome comments in the comments section below.

Thanks for visiting. 🙂

Paul McNamara, 2nd June 2018

Short URL: meta4RN.com/diabetes

 

 

 

Sex Essentials – The Fairy Tale

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On Friday 18 May 2018 the Cairns Sexual Health Service hosted their seventh Sex Essentials education day for nurses, GPs, youth workers, allied health, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, educators and community workers. These annual education days are famous in FNQ and beyond for being energetic and fun. Each Sex Essentials day has a different theme, the 2018 theme was “The Fairy Tale”.

Regular visitors to meta4RN.com know that I’m a fan of taking health education beyond the classroom/conference walls by using social media. While readily acknowledging that there’s no way to capture the whole day on a web page, hopefully this collation of Tweets gives a taste of the creative, inspiring, fun and educational event that was Sex Essentials – The Fairy Tale:

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More info re #SMACC (Social Media and Critical Care) here.
More info re #FOAMed (Free Open Access Meducation) here.
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This is not an exaggeration. For example, watch this short presentation about how FNQ is home to Australia’s first Hep-C free prison here.
Vimeo

AVHEC 2017 – Darren Russell “Keynote 11 – Eliminating Hepatitis C – The Cairns Experience” from ASHM on Vimeo.

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You know what bear means, right? If not, have a quick read here.
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Sincere thanks to Max for an excellent keynote presentation, and agreeing to this Tweet being in the public domain.
Also, my mistake: that should read cisgender/cisgendered.
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URL to the How Much Do You Know? podcasts: eastsidefm.org/howmuchdoyouknow
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URL to Cairns Sexual Health Service: www.health.qld.gov.au/cairns_hinterland/html/shealth
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This session was facilitated by psychologist Suzanne Habib, and drew on the lived experience and generous wisdom of three remarkable people who shared their stories and answered our (sometimes a bit dumb) questions.
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Finishing-Up

For the sake of posterity, here are pics of the program.

Morning

Afternoon
Also for posterity, and by way of thanks to the slightly crazy, but very fun, staff of Cairns Sexual Health Service, here is the way the day started:

More info re Cairns Sexual Health Service here.

Visit the their Facebook page for more photos and info re future Sex Essentials days – health education done right.

End 

As always, comments are welcome in the section below.

Paul McNamara, 19 May 2018

Short URL: meta4RN.com/sex

#WeNurses Twitter Chat re Communication and Compassion

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On 21st December 2012 (Cairns time) nurses from the United Kingdom and Australia came together on Twitter using the #WeNurses hashtag. The planned Twitter chat was used to discuss issues raised by the much-publicised death of a nursing colleague – Jacintha Saldanha.

This curated version of the Twitter chat demonstrates nurses using social media in a constructive manner, and responding to the issues surrounding Jacintha’s passing with thoughtfulness and grace. This was in sharp contrast to the shrill, insensitive and ill-informed way the matter was discussed elsewhere on social media and in mainstream media in the UK and Australia.

I’ve used sub-headings in red to structure the chat as per the themes that emerged.

WordCloud created from the full transcript of the #WeNurses Twitter chat

Preliminary Information.
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Explanation

These Tweets were initially compiled using a social media aggregation tool called Storify
storify.com/meta4RN/communication-and-compassion

Unfortunately, Storify is shutting-down on 16 May 2018 and all content will be deleted.

I’m using my blog as a place to mimic/save the Storify pages I created and value.

End Notes

This archive of Tweets relate directly to two blog posts I wrote at the time. If you’re interested in elaboration re the context at the time, please visit these pages:
Questions of Compassion meta4RN.com/questions-of-compassion
WeNurses: Communication and Compassion meta4RN.com/WeNurses

As always, please use the comments section below for any feedback/questions.

Paul McNamara, 3rd April 2018

Short URL: meta4RN.com/Chat

@WePublicHeath

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For the week Monday 27th January to Sunday 2nd February 2014 I was able to use the @WePublicHealth Twitter handle, thanks to the generosity of Melissa Sweet (aka @croakeyblog).


Here’s what happened:

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Explanation

These Tweets were initially compiled using a social media aggregation tool called Storify
storify.com/meta4RN/wepublichealth

Unfortunately, Storify is shutting-down on 16 May 2018 and all content will be deleted.

I’m using my blog as a place to mimic/save the Storify pages I created and value.

End

 

A big shout-out to Melissa Sweet. I am very grateful to Melissa for inviting a mental health nurse to have a stint on @WePublicHealth.

Melissa is a rockstar of public health and health social media in Australia. If you’re not familiar with her work read-up about Melissa here, and “croakey“, the social journalism project of which she is the lead editor, here. More info re @WePublicHealth, the rotated curation Twitter account that Melissa coordinates, here.

As always, please use the comments section below for any feedback/questions.

Paul McNamara, 2nd April 2018

Short URL: meta4RN.com/WePublicHealth

Obesity: Personal or Social Responsibility

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On 22/05/13 Joseph Proietto presented the keynote “Obesity: Personal or Social Responsibility?” at the International Council of Nurses 25th Quadrennial Congress.

The hashtag #ICNAust2013 took the session beyond the conference walls via generous nurses tweeting with wit and wisdom. [Thanks!]

If you read this I guarantee that you will learn 4 things in 5 minutes:

  1. How obesity works
  2. How Twitter at a healthcare conference works
  3. How an aggregation tool can add value to Twitter content
  4. How nurses can be simultaneously generous, incisive and funny

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Explanation

These Tweets were initially compiled using a social media aggregation tool called Storify
storify.com/meta4RN/obesity-personal-or-social-responsibility

Unfortunately, Storify is shutting-down on 16 May 2018 and all content will be deleted.

I’m using my blog as a place to mimic/save the Storify pages I created and value.

This page is a companion piece to the October 2016 page meta4RN.com/obesity 

End

As always, please use the comments section below for any feedback/questions.

Paul McNamara, 1st April 2018

Short URL: meta4RN.com/ConfTweets