ID-5184 Wonca Abstracts supplement A-K 13-10-23 - Flipbook - Page 186
WONCA 2023 Supplement 1: WONCA 2023 abstracts (A–K)
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The World Health Organization’s mhGAP guideline: A crucial
role for family doctors
E/Prof Christopher Dowrick1, A/Prof Sandra Fortes2, Heather Rogers3, E/Prof Christos Lionis4,
Neerja Chowdhary5, Elaine Brohan5
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University of Liverpool, 2Rio de Janeiro State University, 3Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute,
University of Crete, 5World Health Organization
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Mental, neurological, and substance use disorders are common in all regions of the world, affecting
every community and age group across all income countries. While 14% of the global burden of
disease is attributed to these disorders, most of the people affected – 75% in many low-income
countries – do not have access to the treatment they need.
The aims of this forum are to give participants insight to the most recent version of the WHO Mental
Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) guideline, and to show how family doctors have a crucial role
to play in its worldwide implementation.
The mhGAP guideline is designed to scale up services for mental, neurological and substance use
(MNS) disorders, especially in low- and middle-income countries. With proper care, psychosocial
assistance and medication, tens of millions could be treated for depression, schizophrenia and
epilepsy, prevented from suicide and begin to lead normal lives – even where resources are scarce.
The mhGAP guideline provides the evidence base for the integrated management of priority MNS
conditions, using recommendations to assist in clinical decision making. It is a model guide, for
adaption to unique national and local situations. It is designed for use by non-specialised healthcare
providers, including family doctors, nurses and other members of the healthcare workforce. This
guideline has recently been updated, with WONCA members providing expert advice during the
revision process.
This forum will introduce the updated mhGAP guideline, with focus on key new evidence-based
elements. Next, we will provide examples from Brazil and Crete to demonstrate how family doctors
can be at the forefront of implementing mhGAP guideline recommendations in training and clinical
practice. The forum will then be opened for discussion of participants’ current experience of mhGAP
and – most importantly – how they can adapt and develop it in their local setting.
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