Utilising clinical associates to address mental health service provision challenges in South Africa: the views of healthcare managers and providers.

ABSTRACT:

Background

A constraint in South Africa's mental health system is the human resources required to provide services. Given the shortage of specialist mental health professionals, the use of non-specialists such as clinical associates in mental health task-sharing is essential. The study aimed to explore the views of health managers, doctors, and nurses in four districts of South Africa on the scale of mental illness seen in their health services, their human resources challenges, and their attitudes towards mental health task-sharing involving clinical associates.

Methods

Focus group discussions were conducted in one district in each of the four provinces where clinical associates were known to be employed. Focus group participants were purposively sampled to ensure that each

SUBMITTER: Moodley SV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12359855 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature