MindLink: preliminary evidence on a virtual Community of Practice for child and adolescent mental health in the Australian context

Faced with rising demands and limited resources available in most communities to address child and adolescent mental health presentations, increasing cross-specialty collaboration with healthcare providers such as paediatricians is critical. In this regard, there is growing interest in capacity building models such as 'Communities of Practice' to fill this gap. The purpose of this case study is to present the experience of implementing 'MindLink', a virtual Community of Practice model in the Australian public health system for cross-specialty upskilling and collaboration between paediatrics and child and adolescent mental health. The overall aim included understanding the specific areas of need for paediatricians in enhancing knowledge regarding mental health issues where further support was indicated and the perceived usefulness of the MindLink sessions. The approach leveraged the principles of the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes model for capacity building utilising complex case discussions. The findings identified specific areas where further knowledge and support was desired including pharmacological management, formulation/conceptualisation and diagnostic classification. The perceived benefits included formal and informal collaboration, shared learning and a peer-support network. This has implications due to the potential to improve patient outcomes while also reducing staff burn-out.