GARCÍA ALONSO, CARLOS, ALMEDA MARTÍNEZ, NEREA MARÍA, SALINAS PÉREZ, JOSÉ ALBERTO, RUIZ GUTIÉRREZ COLOSIA, MENCIA, Iruin-Sanz Á. , Salvador-Carulla L.
No
PLoS ONE
Article
Científica
3.7
0.885
22/03/2022
000834238000033
2-s2.0-85126894996
Decision support systems are appropriate tools for guiding policymaking processes, especially in mental health (MH), where care provision should be delivered in a balanced and integrated way. This study aims to develop an analytical process for (i) assessing the performance of an MH ecosystem and (ii) identifying benchmark and target-for-improvement catchment areas. MH provision (inpatient, day and outpatient types of care) was analysed in the Mental Health Network of Gipuzkoa (Osakidetza, Basque Country, Spain) using a decision support system that integrated data envelopment analysis, Monte Carlo simulation and artificial intelligence. The unit of analysis was the 13 catchment areas defined by a reference MH centre. MH ecosystem performance was assessed by the following indicators: relative technical efficiency, stability and entropy to guide organizational interventions. Globally, the MH system of Gipuzkoa showed high efficiency scores in each main type of care (inpatient, day and outpatient), but it can be considered unstable (small changes can have relevant impacts on MH provision and performance). Both benchmark and target-for-improvement areas were identified and described. This article provides a guide for evidence-informed decision-making and policy design to improve the continuity of MH care after inpatient discharges. The findings show that it is crucial to design interventions and strategies (i) considering the characteristics of the area to be improved and (ii) assessing the potential impact on the performance of the global MH care ecosystem. For performance improvement, it is recommended to reduce admissions and readmissions for inpatient care, increase workforce capacity and utilization of day care services and increase the availability of outpatient care services. Copyright: © 2022 García-Alonso et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
adult; article; artificial intelligence; Basque Country; benchmarking; catchment area; day care; decision making; decision support system; ecosystem; entropy; hospital patient; hospital readmission; human; mental health; mental health care; mental health center; Monte Carlo method; outpatient care; workforce; benchmarking; ecosystem; entropy; mental health service; Spain; Artificial Intelligence; Benchmarking; Ecosystem; Entropy; Humans; Mental Health; Mental Health Services; Spain