What Health IT can learn from Mental Health Rehabilitation

Over the past 20 years there has been a huge movement in the mental health community towards patient centered care.. One arm of this is psychiatric rehabilitation.. Their national organization has a core set of values that could be used as a supplemental framework for participatory medicine.

• Strengths‐based: Psychiatric rehabilitation practices build on the strengths and capabilities of individuals.
• Person‐centered: Psychiatric rehabilitation practices are person‐centered; they are designed to address the unique needs of individuals, consistent with their values, hopes and aspirations.
• Empowerment: Psychiatric rehabilitation practices promote self‐determination and empowerment. All individuals have the right to make their own decisions, including decisions about the types of services and supports they receive.
• Shared‐Decision Making: Psychiatric rehabilitation practitioners engage in the processes of informed and shared decision‐making and facilitates partnerships with other persons identified by the individual receiving services.
• Evidence‐based: Psychiatric rehabilitation services emphasize evidence‐based, promising, and emerging best practices that produce outcomes congruent with personal recovery. Programs include structured program evaluation and quality improvement mechanisms that actively involve persons receiving services.
• Quality of Life: Psychiatric rehabilitation practices strive to help individuals improve the quality of all aspects of their lives; including social, occupational, educational, residential, intellectual, spiritual and financial.
• Community Integration: Psychiatric rehabilitation practices support full integration of people in recovery into their communities where they can exercise their rights of citizenship, as well as to accept the responsibilities and explore the opportunities that come with being a member of a community and a larger society.
• Culturally relevant: Psychiatric rehabilitation practitioners recognize that culture is central to recovery, and strive to ensure that all services are culturally relevant to individuals receiving services.
• Personal Support Networks: Psychiatric rehabilitation practices facilitate the development of personal support networks by utilizing natural supports within communities, peer support initiatives, and self‐ and mutual‐help groups.
• Health & Wellness: Psychiatric rehabilitation practices promote health and wellness, encouraging individuals to develop and use individualized wellness plans.
• Accessible & Coordinated: Psychiatric rehabilitation services must be readily accessible to all individuals whenever they need them. These services also should be well coordinated and integrated with other psychiatric, medical, and holistic treatments and practices.
• Hope & Respect: Psychiatric rehabilitation practitioners convey hope and respect, and believe that all individuals have the capacity for learning and growth.