A Mixed-Methods Approach to Evaluate the Needs, Support, and Services for Common Mental Disorders: A Protocol Examining Two Community Extension Clinics

BACKGROUND: The social, economic, and physical environments are widely recognized as important determinants of health and affect the outcome of service delivery. The differences in the patient outcomes can be inferred upon by looking into the process and content of service delivery. METHODS: This study is a mixed-methods, prospective cohort study to be conducted at two community extension clinics run by the Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi, Jharkhand. Service users diagnosed with a common mental disorder (CMDs) will be recruited during the study period of three years. The main objective is to ascertain the unmet needs of patients with CMDs. The secondary goals involve measuring the clinical outcome through the lens of process-oriented recovery, service satisfaction, and accessibility, and analyzing the barriers to access healthcare services along with the impact on the carers. Focus group discussions with participants will help understand the reasons behind their unmet needs and factors essential in service delivery. DISCUSSION: Healthcare, as well as social care, aims to deliver services according to need. In a country with 15 million people with CMDs, evaluation of needs could create a platform for the rational distribution of services.