Papers by Belinda Agyapong
Frontiers in public health, Apr 26, 2024
JMIR formative research, Apr 24, 2024
Frontiers in public health, Mar 25, 2024
Behavioral sciences, Mar 8, 2024
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Behavioral sciences, Mar 5, 2024
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Journal of clinical medicine, Feb 1, 2024
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Journal of Clinical Medicine, Dec 6, 2023
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Behavioral sciences, Dec 6, 2023
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
JMIR Research Protocols, Dec 6, 2023
Current Psychiatry Reports, Oct 17, 2023
Behavioral sciences, Sep 7, 2023
Journal of clinical medicine, May 30, 2024
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European Psychiatry, Mar 1, 2023
post-COVID-19 staffing issues and lack of time for engagement in quality improvement activities. ... more post-COVID-19 staffing issues and lack of time for engagement in quality improvement activities. Respondents were nearly unanimous in agreeing that PA was beneficial to physical and mental health. Enablers to PA included higher numbers of staff (24%), more PA resources (22%), more PA-designated staff (19%), more PA-dedicated time (14%), and timetables of available activities (14%). The majority (65%) continued to report that promoting PA was difficult during their shift. Reported barriers included lack of staff (38%), lack of time (27%), and high levels of clinical activity (24%). Noticeably, nurses were much more likely than doctors or AHPs to report short staffing as a barrier to promoting PA (OR=19.8, p < 0.05). Participants described the gym (22%), walking groups (19%), and football (14%) as the most beneficial PA for patients, whilst 14% responded it was "whichever PA patients preferred". This was mirrored by staff naming "user feedback" as a potential enabler. Reasons for PA being beneficial included "being outside" (24%) and "being inclusive" (11%). Only 45% of MDT members felt they had been provided with PA education/training. Conclusions: Staff continued to acknowledge the importance of PA for physical and mental health and were aware of multiple enablers and barriers. Post-COVID-19, systemic issues such as staffing levels, lack of time, high levels of clinical activity, and lack of PA education/training remained barriers. Service user preference, enjoying the outdoors and inclusivity were features of activities perceived to be most beneficial. An integrative approach to mental health and wellbeing, providing inclusive activities, educating/ training staff, promoting PA in inpatient psychiatric settings, and offering organisational support can contribute to improved PA provision and regular patient engagement.
European Psychiatry, Mar 1, 2023
Introduction: Frequent attenders to emergency services are challenging and costly. We report the ... more Introduction: Frequent attenders to emergency services are challenging and costly. We report the case of a woman in her midtwenties who stands out for a total of 1447 emergency visits. Objectives: Our primary objective was to describe the emergency visits of our patient. Secondary objectives were to assess her use of other healthcare services and to calculate her health expenditure. Methods: This is a clinical case report. We reviewed the patient's electronic medical records for sociodemographic and clinical data. We obtained detailed information of psychiatric ED visits (length, most frequent times and days) regarding the second most-visited hospital. We assessed the efficacy of hospitalizations in reducing ED visits with a paired samples t Test, comparing the number of visits 30 days pre-and post-hospitalization. We estimated the health expenditure using the regional public health system prices, including three direct costs: emergency visits, hospitalizations and ambulance transportation. We obtained written informed consent from the patient's legal guardian. Results: A 26-year-old woman from Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain), diagnosed with mild intellectual disability, made 1447 emergency visits between 2009 and 2021 (figure 1). 946 visits (65%) took place in psychiatric emergency departments (EDs), whilst 353 (24%) in non-psychiatric EDs and 148 (10%) in urgent primary care. She attended 24 hospitals (ranking number one the closest to the patient's home, with 387 visits) and seven primary care centers, distributed across 17 cities in Catalonia. Most visits were selfreferred, being the main presenting problems anxiety and instrumental suicidal behaviour. Saturday was her favorite day for hospital visits (24,1%), while she seeked care on Tuesdays much less often (4.5%). She made 73.5% of consultations between 1pm and 6pm, with a median length per visit of 2.8 hours (range 0.33-20.9 hours). Regarding other therapeutic approaches, she attended day hospitals, psychiatric rehabilitation programs and family therapy, among others (figure 2), for which she showed low adherence and scarce benefit. She had ten acute hospitalizations, interventions that did not reduce ED visits (t=-0.9835, p=0.36). Health expenditure reached 410.035€.
Background Emergency psychiatric care, unplanned hospital admissions, and inpatient health care a... more Background Emergency psychiatric care, unplanned hospital admissions, and inpatient health care are the costliest forms of mental health care. According to Statistics Canada (2018), almost 18% (5.3 million) of Canadians reported needing mental health support. However, just above half of this figure (56.2%) have reported their needs were fully met. In light of this evidence there is a pressing need to provide accessible mental health services in flexible yet cost-effective ways. To further expand capacity and access to mental health care in the province, Nova Scotia Health has launched a novel mental health initiative for people in need of mental health care without requiring emergency department visits or hospitalization. This new service is referred to as the Rapid Access and Stabilization Program (RASP). Objective This study evaluates the effectiveness and impact of the RASP on high-cost health services utilization (e.g. ED visits, mobile crisis visits, and inpatient treatments) a...
European Psychiatry
IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has produced negative mental health outcomes, which were more p... more IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has produced negative mental health outcomes, which were more prominent in vulnerable communities, such as Fort McMurray (FMM), the community that experienced prior similar disasters.ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the likelihood and correlates of anxiety symptoms among FMM residents, during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey questionnaire was applied between 24 April and 2 June 2021, at FMM community to gather a set of data, including sociodemographic, COVID-19, and clinical information. Generalized anxiety disorder was the main outcome of the study, and was measured using GAD-7 scale.ResultsOverall, 186 individuals completed the survey (response rate 74.7%). Most of the respondents were females (159, 85.5%); above 40 years (98, 52.7%); employed (175, 94.1%); and in relationship (132, 71%). The prevalence of moderate-to-severe anxiety was (42.5%, 71) on GAD-7 self-reported scale. Subscribers who reported that they wo...
European Psychiatry
IntroductionMental illness is not uncommon among males. While the estimates of the males who are ... more IntroductionMental illness is not uncommon among males. While the estimates of the males who are dissatisfied with their lives, die by suicide, become alcohol-dependent and drug users are high, low numbers seek mental health support.ObjectivesIn this study, we aimed to assess Text4Hope, a texting mental health support service, provided to people in Alberta during the COVID-19 pandemic, and examine its effectiveness among male subscribers.MethodsIn a naturalistic randomized controlled trial design, a comparison was run between two populations of Text4Hope male subscribers; an intervention group (IG, Text4Hope subscribers who received once-daily supportive text messages for 6 weeks) and a control group (CG, Text4Hope subscribers who joined the program in the same time frame but were yet to receive text messages). The severity and the prevalence of likely stress, anxiety, and depression were examined between the two groups, using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Generalized Anx...
European Psychiatry
IntroductionDespite several treatment strategies for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) exist, ... more IntroductionDespite several treatment strategies for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) exist, including the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), new therapeutic options are being introduced. Text4Support is a form of cognitive behavior therapy that allows patients with depression to receive daily supportive text messages that seek to correct or alter negative thought patterns through positive reinforcement. Text4Support is deemed a useful augmentation treatment strategy for patients with TRD. It is however currently unknown if adding the Text4Support intervention will enhance patients with TRD’s response to rTMS treatmentsObjectivesThis study aims to assess the initial comparative clinical effectiveness of rTMS when used with and without the Text4Support program as an innovative patient-centered intervention for the management of participants diagnosed with TRD.MethodsThis study is a multicentered prospective, parallel-design, two-arm, rater-blinded randomi...
European Psychiatry
IntroductionProblematic substance use is rising, and other mental health conditions like anxiety ... more IntroductionProblematic substance use is rising, and other mental health conditions like anxiety and depression correlate with substance abuse. Diverse interventions to reduce this effect are emerging. Supportive text messages offer the prospect of improving symptoms of drug misuse and other associated comorbidities.ObjectivesThe study aims to evaluate the impact of the Text4Hope-Addiction program in mitigating craving, anxiety, and depression symptoms in subscribers.MethodsIndividuals self-subscribe to Text4Hope Addiction program by texting “Open2Change” to 393939 to receive daily addiction-related text messages for three months. Subscribers are invited via text message to complete online questionnaires which assess cravings, anxiety, and depressive symptoms using the Brief Substance Craving Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 on subscription (baseline), six weeks and three months. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25 with descriptive...
European Psychiatry
IntroductionFort McMurray, a city in northern Alberta, Canada, has experienced multiple traumatic... more IntroductionFort McMurray, a city in northern Alberta, Canada, has experienced multiple traumatic events in the last five years, including the 2016 wildfire, the 2020 floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Traumatic events often lead to increased mental health burdens in affected communities.ObjectivesTo assess if the number of traumatic events experienced by residents of Fort McMurray correlates with the prevalence and severity of mental health issues experienced.MethodsA cross-sectional study using an online survey questionnaire was used to gather demographic, trauma (wildfire, flooding, and COVID-19), and clinical information from the resident of Fort McMurray between April 24 to June 2 2021. Likely Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and low resilience were measured using standardized rating scales. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 26 using Chi-Square tests and multivariate regression analysis.ResultsResponde...
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Papers by Belinda Agyapong