Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Primary healthcare (PHC) providers are often the first and only point of contact within the community to the broader healthcare system for many people with mental healthcare needs. The prevalence of mental health problems in PHC remains high, and ongoing management of these problems often occurs without the involvement of a psychiatrist or mental health service provider. Electronic medical records (EMRs) used by PHC providers have the potential to provide a relatively rapid assessment of equity of access for mental health care and other services. This research tests the feasibility of using a Southwestern Ontario EMR database to measure equity of access for mental health care. In this research, indicators of equity and inequity of access will be constructed. Access to services will be identified through information in the EMR including number of patient visits, prescriptions for mental health diagnoses, and referrals to specialist providers. Social structural advantages will be measured by linking the EMR data to other sources, including Ontario Health Insurance Plan data on the use of mental health services outside PHC. This project will develop knowledge on how to link datasets to improve measures of equity and access, including the Ontario Health Insurance Plan data on use of mental health care services outside PHC, and Canadian Census data on area level social structural advantages, including median household income and immigration status. Understanding the challenges associated with using EMR data to measure equity of access to mental health care services will allow us to monitor strategies and interventions targeted at improving access and evaluate their effectiveness over time.