Call for Experts: Help Shape Global Standards for Migrant Mental Healthcare Communication!
- akreien
- 19. Mai
- 3 Min. Lesezeit
Effective communication is the cornerstone of quality mental healthcare. Yet, for millions of migrants and refugees worldwide, language barriers create significant obstacles, often leading to misdiagnosis, inadequate treatment, health disparities, and immense distress. Addressing this critical global gap is essential for achieving health equity.
Why a Competency Framework?
Despite growing awareness, practical, consensus-based guidance for professionals navigating complex communication challenges remains scarce. The MiM2M project aims to fill this gap by creating a framework that is:
Evidence-Grounded: Built upon multiple systematic reviews and qualitative studies exploring communication barriers and effective strategies in migrant mental healthcare.
Globally Aligned, Locally Tailored: Structured around five core domains (People-Centered Care, Communication, Collaboration, Evidence-Informed Practice, Personal Conduct) adapted from the WHO Global Competency Framework for Universal Health Coverage, but specifically tailored for the nuances of multilingual (mental) health settings.
Role-Specific: Differentiating competencies needed for Healthcare Professionals (direct care providers) and Healthcare Administrators (those in management, policy, and resource coordination).
Action-Oriented: Focused on identifying specific, observable, and measurable behaviors that demonstrate competence in real-world practice.
We aim to create a practical 'motor for change' – a framework outlining these key competencies. This tool aims to inform training curricula, guide policy development, standardize best practices, and empower professionals across diverse healthcare settings to provide culturally responsive, linguistically appropriate care.
Your Expertise is Needed: The MiM2M Delphi Study
We are conducting a rigorous two-round online Delphi study to ensure this framework is robust, relevant, and grounded in real-world experience. This established methodology allows us to gather and synthesize insights from a diverse panel of international experts, achieving consensus on the most critical competencies.
Are You an Expert in This Field?
We seek input from professionals whose work intersects with the challenges of multilingual healthcare and migrant/refugee (mental) health. This includes:
Researchers studying migrant health, health communication, or related fields.
Clinicians (doctors, nurses, psychologists, therapists, etc.) providing direct care.
Healthcare Administrators & Managers are responsible for service design and delivery.
Policymakers involved in shaping health systems and access.
If your work involves tackling (mental) healthcare access or communication challenges for migrants and refugees facing language barriers, your perspective is invaluable. We invite experts to ensure the framework reflects diverse healthcare systems and cultural contexts – be a voice for your community!
Your Role in Shaping the Framework:
By participating in this Delphi study (hosted on the secure EUSurvey platform), you will:
Round 1 (May 19 – June 23, 2025): Evaluate a set of proposed competency statements based on their Priority (how essential they are) and Feasibility (how realistically they can be implemented) using Likert scales. You will also provide crucial qualitative feedback to refine wording, add context, or suggest missing elements.
Round 2 (July 14 – August 18, 2025): Re-evaluate statements that did not reach consensus in Round 1 (informed by anonymized group feedback) and help rank the most critical competency standards within key domains.
Time Commitment: We value your expertise and time. Completing each online round will take approximately 50-70 minutes. The platform allows you to save your progress and complete the survey in multiple sessions. An optional virtual Expert Panel Meeting to discuss the final consensus is planned for September/October 2025.
Why Participate? Make a Lasting Impact:
Influence Global Standards: Directly shape an evidence-based tool with the potential for widespread adoption in training, policy, and practice.
Advance Health Equity: Contribute concrete strategies to reduce communication barriers and improve care quality for vulnerable populations.
Gain Recognition: Have your contribution acknowledged in project outputs and publications (with your consent).
Collaborate with Peers: Join a distinguished international panel of experts in the field.
Access Results: Receive the final validated framework and study results for your own research, teaching, or advocacy work.
This important work is endorsed by the European Health Management Association (EHMA) & the World Psychiatric Association - Transcultural Psychiatry Section (WPA-TPS).
Ready to Contribute?
Your insights are essential to creating a truly impactful resource. Lend your expertise to bridge the communication gap in migration and health.
Participate in the Delphi Study Here:
Questions?
Please get in touch with the MiM2M Delphi coordination team at: delphi.mim2m@publichealth.ro
Thank you for considering this vital opportunity!