Practical measures to improve access to mental health care in low-resource areas
Developing measures to improve access to integrated mental health care services in under-resourced global settings
This project will create usable measures to help health systems in Peru and similar low-resource communities find and fix gaps in mental health care for people living with HIV and other community members.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11400597 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will work with local communities and health workers in Peru to co-design simple, locally appropriate measures using existing clinic and community data. They will combine interviews, focus groups, and health record reviews to understand where care is missing and what data are already available. The team will pilot the new measurement tools in selected clinics to see if they help managers decide where to send staff and resources. The focus is on tools that fit local limits and could later be scaled up to guide system-wide improvements.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adults in under-resourced Peruvian communities — including people living with HIV — who use or help provide mental health services.
Not a fit: People outside the study areas (for example, not in participating Peruvian clinics) or anyone needing immediate individual clinical treatment are unlikely to get direct benefits from this measurement-focused project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these measures could help clinics and health systems better target resources and expand access to mental health care for people with HIV and others in under-resourced areas.
How similar studies have performed: Community-engaged and mixed-methods projects have helped implement mental health services in low-resource settings before, but creating locally usable system-level measurement tools is relatively new and is still being refined.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston Medical Center — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Prom de Illanes, Maria Catherine — Boston Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Prom de Illanes, Maria Catherine
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.