Embracing Technology for Capacity Building in Mental Health: New Path, Newer Challenges

• Published in: Psychiatric quarterly Vol. 92; no. 3; pp. 843 - 850
• Main Authors: Malathesh, Barikar C., Ibrahim, Ferose Aziz, Nirisha, P. Lakshmi, Kumar, Channaveerachari Naveen, Chand, Prabhat Kumar, Manjunatha, Narayana, Math, Suresh Bada, Thirthalli, Jagadisha, Manjappa, Adarsha Alur, Parthasarathy, Rajani, Reddy, Shanivaram, Arora, Sanjeev
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.09.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Capacity Building; Capacity building approach; Cognitive ability; Community Health Workers; Digital literacy; Health initiatives; Human resources; Humans; India; Medical personnel; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental Health; Original Paper; Psychiatry; Public Health; Remote areas; Sociology; Technology; Villages; India; CHW’s; Telementoring; ECHO; ICMR
• ISSN: 0033-2720; 1573-6709
• DOI: 10.1007/s11126-020-09859-7

Technology driven capacity building initiatives are the way to break the barrier of shortage of mental health human resources in India. This new path, while is a welcome step, comes with its own set of challenges. In one prototypic project that is being implemented in Ramanagara District of Karnataka, a south Indian state, we encountered many such issues. They ranged from issues related to availability of dedicated space to set up the hub-studio, inconsistent internet connectivity (particularly in remote areas) and inadequate digital literacy among the grassroot community health workers who hail from villages. This article summarises these challenges and ends by looking into ways and means of overcoming them.