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Barriers and Solutions to Implementing the Staff Education on Depression Screening and

Follow-Ups

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Date
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Barriers to Implementing the Staff Education Program

The first barrier to implementing change in the psychiatric clinic is resistance to change.

Medical practitioners in the facility may be averse to adjusting to their current procedures and

may be hesitant to embrace new screening procedures or depressive follow-up strategies (Aref-

Adib et al., 2019). They may feel at ease in their routines and view the educational program as an

unwanted distraction. The second barrier is a lack of awareness and knowledge: Healthcare

practitioners may not be fully aware of the value of depression follow-ups and screenings and the

best methods and tools for carrying them out. They might not be conversant with

recommendations and best practices supported by evidence.

Furthermore, time constraints might be another factor that will affect the implementation

of the staff education program. Healthcare practitioners may have a tight schedule. A busy

psychiatric clinic's healthcare practitioners may believe that adding depression screening and

follow-ups to their routine will add to their job and take up more time. Another barrier is limited

resources. The psychiatric clinic can have scarce resources, such as budgetary restrictions,

staffing shortages, and a lack of committed support for the education program (Aref-Adib et al.,

2019).

Moreover, the project may receive resistance from other staff members. The need for

depression screening and follow-ups may not be fully understood or supported by nurses, office

workers, or other healthcare professionals, which might cause resistance or inconsistent

implementation.

Solutions to Possible Barriers

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Several factors could be considered to avoid resistance to change in the practicum

facility. First, the health care practitioners should be involved early in the process. Medical

practitioners should be included in the planning and decision-making processes of the

educational program to allay their worries and secure their support. Moreover, the project

manager should communicate the benefits to the staff. The advantages of depression screening

and follow-ups, such as better patient outcomes, early intervention, and more efficient therapy,

should be clarified (Salomon et al., 2022). Besides, evidence-based information that

demonstrates the value of depression screening and follow-ups in enhancing patient treatment

should be provided to the staff.

Time management can be attained by streamlining the processes. The project manager

should find strategies to easily include depression screening and follow-ups into current

workflows to reduce the need for additional time. This could involve using electronic health

record (EHR) checklists or prompts to direct doctors through the procedure (Perry et al., 2020).

Moreover, the efficiency and effectiveness of the education program should be emphasized.

Attention should be drawn to the possible long-term advantages of depression screening and

follow-ups, such as better patient outcomes, lower relapse rates, and greater treatment

responsiveness, ultimately saving time and resources.

The lack of enough resources could be addressed by looking for options to secure outside

financing or grants to aid in creating and implementing the educational program.

Work together with key stakeholders: Organizations, associations, or academic institutions that

deal with mental health should be engaged because they may have resources, knowledge, or

funds to assist staff education programs (Salomon et al., 2022). Moreover, technology should be

utilized during the education program. Utilizing technology Increases the reach and efficacy of
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the educational program by using technology, such as online training modules or virtual

educational sessions, which can be more affordable and available.

References

Aref-Adib, G., McCloud, T., Ross, J., O'Hanlon, P., Appleton, V., Rowe, S., & Lobban, F.

(2019). Factors affecting the implementation of digital health interventions for people

with psychosis or bipolar disorder, and their family and friends: a systematic review. The

Lancet Psychiatry, 6(3), 257–266.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221503661830302X

Perry, K., Gold, S., & Shearer, E. M. (2020). Identifying and addressing mental health providers’

perceived barriers to clinical video telehealth utilization. Journal of Clinical

Psychology, 76(6), 1125–1134.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jclp.22770

Salomon, R. E., Waldrop, J. B., Baker, M., Mandel, M. A., LaForett, D. R., & Beeber, L. S.

(2022). Integrating maternal depression screening into an early intervention program: An

implementation evaluation. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses

Association, 28(5), 355-365.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/10783903221116648