MIS for Mental Health Sector
The second volume narrates data tools and software. The government becomes increasingly aware of the massive burden associated with mental disorders and has taken steps to expand and improve mental health services, it becomes essential to health systems that ensure delivery of effective health services and care in institutional setting. Mental health professionals have known for a long time that curative services in the mental health sector are grossly inadequate without supportive rehabilitation services. Under the leadership of Dr. Harshit Sinha, Vardaan Foundation has taken initiatives to address the need to maintain both curative and rehabilitation service data jointly. The main reasons for setting a computerized system was to generate scientific data that portrayed reality of the problems and could generate a rich databank that serve the purpose of scientific research and maintain the confidentiality of the individuals suffering from any mental disorders. The current report is the second volume sequence of the project that narrates data tools and software. Chapter 1 describes the conceptualization of the current project and chapter 2 gives the brief description of the status of data management in the mental health sector and rationale. Chapter 3 describes aims, objectives; activities planned and research questions to be explored. Chapter 4 describes different computer modules, data tools and process of developing computerized system. Chapter 5 describes analysis and findings of the data tools and software. Further, it also narrates about the reliability, interdependence and its significance of the new developed psychosocial data tool. Chapter 6 highlight different operational issues concerned with newly developed psychosocial tools and its validity. Chapter 7 describes the achievements and learnings while the last chapter gives recommendations and conclusions. The information generated with such database has policy formulation and other implications that reflect the diverse realities, influence on the mental health sector, and may make it mandatory in the concerned institutions. The report is available online at http://varfound.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/FinalMH_Vol2.pdf