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Project

PhD in collaborative care for the elderly with psychological and somatic frailty

More than two-thirds of older patients receiving psychiatric care have at least one general medical condition, and many of these patients have at least two. Management of multimorbidity requires integration of somatic and mental health care. Collaborative care is a complex intervention based on management models for chronic conditions and consists of four key elements: a multi-professional approach to care, a structured care plan, planned follow-up appointments for patients, and improved interprofessional communication. Collaborative care would be effective in managing mental illness in adults. However, there are still insufficient studies on the effect of collaborative care in mental illness in elderly people with somatic comorbidity. The objective of this project is the development and piloting of a collaborative care model for this target group in and around Leuven, in collaboration with, among others, the Leuven general practitioners, the University Psychiatric Center (UPC) KU Leuven, and the Geriatrics and Gerontology Department UZ/KU Leuven. This doctoral dissertation will be under the supervision of and a collaboration with a multidisciplinary research group.

Date:1 Sep 2021 →  Today
Keywords:collaborative care, psychological, somatic, elderly
Disciplines:Geriatrics, Mental healthcare services
Project type:PhD project