Research Article
Evaluation of a Mental Health Research Database for Stakeholders
David Nicholas1* Angus H Thompson2 Orrin Lyseng3 Tom Shand3,4 Carmela Hutchinson3,5 Andrew Carr5 Sharon Springer6 Sheba Skariah1 Dino Skariah1
1Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, Edmonton, AB, Canada
2Institute of Health Economics, Edmonton, AB, Canada
3Alberta Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health, Edmonton, AB, Canada
4Canadian Mental Health Association, Edmonton, AB, Canada
5Alberta Network for Mental Health, Irricana, AB, Canada
6University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- *Corresponding Author:
- David Nicholas
#444, 11044 82 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 0T2, CANADA
Tel: 780-492-8094
Fax: 780-492-5774
E-mail:nicholas@ucalgary.ca
Received date: November 20, 2013; Accepted date: December 20, 2013; Published date: December 23, 2013
Citation: Nicholas D, Thompson AH, Lyseng O, Shand T, Sutherland S, et al. (2013) Evaluation of a Mental Health Research Database for Stakeholders. J Community Med Health Educ 3: 257. doi: 10.4172/2161-0711.1000257
Copyright: © 2013 Nicholas D, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
The Database Project website is a systematized repository of peer-reviewed findings in the field of mental illness, currently focusing on schizophrenia. It offers accessible summaries of research findings largely for non-profit groups in the mental health sector. It is intended to assist these organizations in ascertaining trends and providing data to support grant preparation and other project development. This study evaluates the content and usability of the Database. The strengths and drawbacks of the Database are explored along with the Database’s utility for stakeholders. The Database was reported to have an easily accessible and helpful selection of content. Reviewers concluded that the Database is of substantial value in terms of content and usability, offering accessible knowledge of peer-reviewed research to users. This ultimately serves in building capacity at a community and organizational level. Recommendations and implications for practice and resource development are discussed.