Uncertainty in mental healthcare

Project Members - Macquarie University

Chiara Pomare - Postdoctoral Research Fellow E:chiara.pomare@mq.edu.au

Louise Ellis – Research Fellow E:louise.ellis@mq.edu.au

Kate Churruca – Research Fellow E:kate.churruca@mq.edu.au

Janet Long – Senior Research Fellow E:janet.long@mq.edu.au

Jeffrey Braithwaite – Professor and Director E: jeffrey.braithwaite@mq.edu.au

Project contact:

Chiara Pomare

Louise Ellis

Project Description

This project aims to assess the types and situations of uncertainty experienced by professionals working in mental health care, and subsequently evaluate how professionals collaborate in the face of these different uncertain situations. This work has been conducted in two youth mental health Headspace centres in metropolitan Sydney (link to https://headspace.org.au/).

Background

Uncertainty is ubiquitous across health care settings, yet it may be managed by the sharing of information through effective interprofessional collaboration. Experiences of uncertainty are particularly prominent in mental health care, for example: deciding on unclear diagnoses, drawing inferences from ambiguous criteria, clarifying blurred professional boundaries, and being unsure about the prognostic outcomes of a patients.

Benefits

Interprofessional collaboration is a key tool to manage and navigate the complexities of uncertainty in mental health care.

Publications

Pomare, C., Churruca, K., Ellis, L. A., Long, J. C., & Braithwaite, J. (2019). A revised model of uncertainty in complex healthcare settings: a scoping review. Journal of evaluation in clinical practice, 25(2), 176-182.

Pomare, C., Ellis, L. A., Churruca, K., Long, J. C., & Braithwaite, J. (2018). The Reality of Uncertainty in Mental Health Care Settings Seeking Professional Integration: A Mixed-Methods Approach. International journal of integrated care, 18(4).

Pomare, C., Long, J. C., Ellis, L. A., Churruca, K., & Braithwaite, J. (2018). Interprofessional collaboration in mental health settings: a social network analysis. Journal of interprofessional care.

Pomare, C., Long, J. C., Churruca, K., Ellis, L. A., & Braithwaite, J. (2019). Social network research in health care settings: Design and data collection. Social Networks.