Mental Health First Aid Training for Allied Health Clinical Educators: A Pre- and Post-Evaluation.

PURPOSE

Health profession students may experience mental health issues during training, and clinical educators report that they don't feel confident in supporting students with these issues. This study explored whether a customized Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training programme changed the knowledge, perceptions, intentions, and confidence of clinical educators in supporting students with mental health issues in the workplace.

METHOD

Twenty-four allied health clinical educators from a tertiary health service attended a two-day customized MHFA course. The educators completed assessments before = 21) and after = 23) the course. Quantitative data was analyzed using independent -tests. Qualitative data was thematically analyzed using content analysis.

RESULTS

Knowledge improved significantly = <0.001). The confidence to manage students with mental health issues increased significantly < 0.001). A significant change in perception was only found with respect to a character in a scenario being dangerous or unpredictable. Intentions to assist co-workers and students with mental health issues improved for all items but not necessarily significantly.

CONCLUSIONS

This programme improved educators' knowledge of mental health, perceptions of people with mental health issues, intentions of providing help, and confidence to support people with mental health issues.