Ensuring Quality in Psychological Support-Service User Quality Assessment (EQUIPSU)

Introduction

This 3-year research project, funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH), US, through the George Washington University, Washington D.C., US, addresses the critical gap in delivering evidence-based mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Nepal. Despite growing awareness of mental health issues, there remains a significant lack of tools to assess and improve the quality of MHPSS services. This project aims to bridge this gap by developing a quality assessment tool that can be completed by people with lived experience (PWLE) of mental health conditions to evaluate the services they receive. By incorporating feedback from both the demand side (PWLE) and the supply side (health system managers and policymakers), the project seeks to create a tool that empowers service users to provide actionable feedback, ultimately improving decision-making and strengthening mental health care in primary care settings.

Objectives

1. To develop a quality assessment tool for mental health and psychosocial support services that can be used by people with lived experience (PWLE) of mental health conditions.
2. To use a co-creation approach involving PWLE (demand side) and health system managers and policymakers (supply side) to ensure the tool is practical, relevant, and impactful.
3. To enable PWLE to provide feedback on the quality of services they receive, fostering accountability and improvement in MHPSS delivery.
4. To strengthen mental health care in primary care settings by informing decision-making and policy improvements based on user feedback.

Implementation Area

The project will be implemented in Nepal, a low-income country where gaps in MHPSS service delivery are particularly pronounced. The focus will be on primary care settings, where mental health services are often integrated but lack robust mechanisms for quality assessment and improvement.

Time Frame

The project will run for 3 years, with specific start and end dates to be determined.

Supported By

This research project is funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH), US, and is implemented through the George Washington University, Washington D.C., US.