Background and aim: Mental health services in Colombia have had a complex history shaped by 50 of years armed conflict, disproportionate clinical approach and social factors such as stigma. Nevertheless, recent global tendencies and interventions have suggested basing mental health services on communities and the recovery approach and considering the social determinants of mental health during planning. Colombia has involved these approaches in its legal and practical framework in recent years, but multiple internal and external factors have retarded an accurate implementation. This systematic review aims to contribute to mental health services understanding in Colombia, offering an implementation research approach.
Methods: A comprehensive strategy search was developed to include peer-reviewed studies where mental health services were mentioned or described. The review was conducted in five databases (Medline (OVID), PubMed, Scopus, Scielo and BVS), three languages (English, Spanish & Portuguese) and was limited to the last ten years. Moreover, it followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and used the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to identify barriers and facilitators during the implementation of mental health services.
Results: Twelve articles were selected. The principal reported barriers were lack of coordination, workloads, and funding. Implementation differences between public and private settings were significant and repeatedly reported. On the other hand, good planning strategies and the involvement of communities, stakeholders, users, and external champions facilitated implementation. Remarkable efforts to adopt community-based mental health services were described as well.
Conclusions: Overall, this review offers significant insight into current mental health services, their implementation status, and principal barriers to effective implementation. It is suggested to continue applying community and recovery approaches in mental health services, but also to improve coordination between all actors (e.g., public and private organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and users and their families).
Citación recomendada (normas APA)
Germán Andrés Alarcón Garavito, "Mental health services implementation in Colombia – a systematic review", Colombia:-, 2021. Consultado en línea en la Biblioteca Digital de Bogotá (https://www.bibliotecadigitaldebogota.gov.co/resources/3711816/), el día 2025-05-02.
