The University of the Free State (UFS) recently implemented the MEGA mobile application in primary healthcare settings to improve access for children and adolescents to mental-health services and appropriate care in South Africa and Zambia. The institution is not only the first in SA but also in Africa to implement this application.
According to a statement by the institute, the MEGA project is a three-year project that started in October 2017 and is part of a larger European Union-funded project to build capacity by implementing the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) mobile intervention in SADC countries.
“The Mega consortium consists of an interprofessional team including registered professional nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, IT specialists, a sociologist, researchers, and administrative specialists in project funding,” says Ronelle Jansen, manager of the UFS team.
Jansen stated in the statement that the project involves primary healthcare professionals installing the app either on their phone or on a device, and the app then automatically generates a patient ID when the healthcare professional starts the screening process.
“There is a high burden of mental-health disorders among adolescents, but limited access to mental healthcare. There is also a lack of knowledge about mental healthcare among workers in public healthcare settings.
“The Mega project hopes to improve the delivery of mental healthcare to adolescents by supporting and educating primary healthcare professionals through a mobile application. Also, by disseminating the results and outcomes to the National Departments of Health in both SA and Zambia,” says Jansen, who is currently working on her PhD.
The project is currently busy with its sixth work package (WP), which involves the implementation and evaluation of the app after the primary healthcare professionals have received training on the content and use of the app. The UFS was the first to start implementing the app in seven clinics and with eight nurses.
Jansen says it is a tremendous honour and privilege to be part of an international mental-health project funded by the Erasmus + programme and the EU.
