Avaliação do aplicativo Mentalkit e desafios para o cuidado da saúde mental de crianças e adolescentes no Brasil

Abstract

The mental health of children and adolescents is a global concern, with implications for health, education, social interactions, and general well-being. In Brazil, this situation is aggravated by inequalities in the provision of and lack of access to mental health services. Thus, digital technologies appear as tools that can contribute to qualifying and expanding access to health care. The use of applications in the health area is increasing, and to better meet the demand for services and users, an evaluation of the quality of these tools is necessary. This thesis was carried out as part of a larger project entitled “Improving the capacity of the Brazilian health system to care for the mental health of children and adolescents”, through a partnership between researchers from the United Kingdom and Brazil. The objective of this thesis was to evaluate the Mentalkit application and the challenges for the mental health care of children and adolescents in Brazil. The thesis consists of two results articles. The first article, entitled “Regional inequalities in mental health care for children and adolescents in Brazil,” revealed an unequal distribution in the number of psychologists and psychiatrists among the states and regions of Brazil, with the North and Northeast regions having lower coverage. Despite advances in the expansion of Psychosocial Care Centers (CAPS), CAPS for children and adolescents (CAPSi) still have low coverage in all regions. The second article, entitled “Evaluation of the Mentalkit application for mental health care for children and adolescents in Brazil,” evaluated the application in four objective dimensions (engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and quality of information) and one subjective dimension. The application had an overall score of 3.8 out of 5, downgrading from good quality. Functionality (4.1 ± 0.5; range 3-5; 95% CI: 3.91-4.22) and quality of information (3.9 ± 0.6; range 2.75-4.75; 95% CI: 3.69-4.05) were well-evaluated dimensions and are fundamental for a tool that offers evidence-based guidance, but also areas of cooperation that can be improved. This work presents a scenario of great regional inequalities in the public mental health system, impacting care for children and adolescents and the need to adopt digital technologies designed for service practice to contribute to mental health care. The need to strengthen mental health policy and implement actions that reduce regional disparities is highlighted, ensuring that all children and adolescents in Brazil can have access to quality mental health care.