Enhancing capacities of primary care physicians to tackle the rising burden of common mental disorders in India

Background The scarcity of specialists to treat mental disorders in highly populated low and middle-income countries like India has always remained an important public health problem. Recently, a collaborative training model was developed to train primary care physicians (PCPs) for the management of mental disorders in India. We document the effectiveness of capacity building in enhancing PCPs knowledge, behaviour, and practice in managing common mental disorders. Methods We did a cross-sectional study across India from June to November 2020, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The study tools and programme were designed and developed based on the Kirkpatrick model and Andragogy theory, respectively. A total of 143 enrolled PCPs were included in the study. The baseline-end of study, pre and post-intervention assessments, and the overall programme evaluation were done for knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP). A paired sample t-test with p values was done to test the differences between baseline-end of study and pre and post-test values. In addition, the mean and standard deviation of the responses were calculated. Qualitative data and open-ended responses were analyzed using an inductive content analysis technique. Results The study showed a significant improvement in the KAP of trained physicians as measured by the post-intervention survey (p<0.05). This collaborative training intervention has a high potential for scaling up while optimally addressing the scarcity of trained mental health professionals in similar settings, such as India. Conclusion The collaborative training model showed notable improvements in the knowledge, attitude, and practices of primary care physicians when managing common mental disorders. These results emphasize the effectiveness and practicality of structured, theory-based training in enhancing mental health services at the primary care level. The model’s success suggests that it could be expanded and scaled up in other low-resource settings that face comparable workforce issues in mental health care.