E-MhGAP Intervention guide in Low and middle income countries: proof-of-concept for Impact and Acceptability (Emilia project)

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Layperson summaryThe context for the Emilia proposal is the 'mental health treatment gap'. This is the difference between the number of people with mental illness needing treatment and care, and the number who actually receive help. At present this gap is huge. Over 80% of people with severe mental disorders in low and middle income countries (LMICs) receive no treatment at all. The aim of the Emilia project is to assess if it is possible to produce a version of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Mental Health Global Action Programme Intervention Guide that is easily usable on smart phones and tablet devices, for use in this project by primary care staff in Nepal and Nigeria. We intend to assess if this electronic form of guidance is suitable for use in other LMICs, where over 85% of the world's population live.We will compare the training, support and supervision given to primary health care using the paper version and the electronic versionof the WHO Mental Health Global Action Programme Intervention Guide (mhGAP IG).We will assess if the electronic version is more practical to use (ie more feasible) by answering the following questions. Is theelectronic version more feasible to use in terms of:1. greater staff acceptability2. more often leading to an evidence-based intervention3. a greater proportion of patients with depression are identified by primary care staff4. being affordable and cost-effective5. delivering better clinical support and supervision to primary care staff6. leading to less stigma related to people with mental illness among primary care staff