Creation of the Youth Integration Project Framework: A Narrative Synthesis of the Youth Mental Health Integrated Care Literature

Abstract

Introduction: Integrated care has been posited as a potential solution to the global burden of youth mental health (YMH), but there is limited evidence on how best to design, staff, and evaluate different integrated care models. Our review aimed to consolidate the evidence on integrated models of mental healthcare for young people, to identify the core components of integration, and create a framework that can be used to analyse levels of YMH integration. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of literature across PubMed, SCOPUS, and PsycINFO databases and the grey literature We performed a narrative synthesis extracting core components of integrated YMH care. Results: Inductive themes from the literature described core components of integrated care. These themes were mapped into a novel framework combining the World Health Organisation health system building blocks and six intensity levels of integrated care to consider how best to implement and sustain integrated care within the YMH system. Discussion: The Youth Integration Project framework can form a basis for the development, implementation and evaluation of well-articulated models of youth integrated mental health pathways, assisting services identify what operational changes are needed to best implement and sustain integrated care.

Keywords

• youth mental health
• integrated care
• health services research