Clinical Pathways in Patients with Mental Health Disorders

Dear Colleagues,

Quality improvement is a priority for national health services, in conjunction with improving the health of populations while also maintaining the economic sustainability of whole health systems. Mental health systems comprise different community mental health facilities and teams, operating in a variety of settings (treatment, rehabilitation, employment, and residential care). In addition, in mental health the development of care pathways is even more necessary since the variability of the treatments delivered is very pronounced and their effectiveness is debated, especially considering severe mental disorders where significant clinical and psychosocial issues exist; complex interventions must be integrated in specific care pathways.

The assessment of quality-of-care pathways is fundamental to improving the organization of healthcare systems. The definition, implementation, and evaluation of clinical pathways in mental healthcare are first and foremost responsibilities and priorities of national mental healthcare systems.

Although in recent years many countries have significantly invested in community-based mental healthcare, as well as the fact that initiatives based on clinical indicators for assessing the quality of mental healthcare have been developed by transnational organizations, there is still no widespread practice for measuring the quality of care provided.

This Special Issue is dedicated to studies aiming to evaluate the quality of healthcare pathways delivered to patients with mental disorders. 

Dr. Matteo Monzio Compagnoni
Dr. Antonio Lora
Guest Editors

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• mental health
• severe mental disorders
• mental health services
• mental healthcare
• quality of care
• clinical pathways
• monitoring
• evaluation
• healthcare research
• public health