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. 2024 Nov 6:17:11786329241297913.
doi: 10.1177/11786329241297913. eCollection 2024.

Effects of the Mental Health Law on Peruvian Primary Care Physicians: A Cross-Sectional Study on Knowledge of Major Depressive Disorder

Javier A Flores-Cohaila  1 , Peter Garcia-Portocarrero  2 , Deysi A Saldaña-Amaya  2 , Fabricio Herrera-Escobar  2 , Josue Y Guivar-Cajusol  2 , Henry Ricardo Villarreal-Trujillo  3 , Cesar Copaja-Corzo  4 , Brayan Miranda-Chavez  5
Affiliations

Effects of the Mental Health Law on Peruvian Primary Care Physicians: A Cross-Sectional Study on Knowledge of Major Depressive Disorder

Javier A Flores-Cohaila et al. Health Serv Insights. .

Abstract

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the level of knowledge of primary care physicians in Lambayeque, Peru, regarding the diagnosis and treatment of Major Depressive Disorder.

Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 106 primary care physicians in Lambayeque, Peru. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire assessing Major Depressive Disorder diagnosis and treatment knowledge. Physicians' knowledge levels were categorized as inadequate, adequate, or excellent. Poisson regression models were employed to identify factors associated with adequate knowledge.

Results: The response rate was 81.21%. Only 36.79% of physicians demonstrated adequate knowledge, with none achieving excellent knowledge. The median score was 6 (IQR: 5-7). Mental health training, which may reflect the new law's implementation, was significantly associated with higher knowledge levels (PR: 2.42, 95% CI: 1.02 to 5.10). Other factors were not significantly associated with knowledge levels.

Conclusions: The proportion of primary care physicians with adequate Major Depressive Disorder knowledge has doubled since 2014, indicating a positive effect of the mental health law. However, to increase this number, continuous professional development programs are needed.

Keywords: Major depressive disorder; knowledge; medical education; needs assessment; primary care.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Geographical location of the Lambayeque region on the northern coast of Peru.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Scores across different subgroups (n = 106). Abbreviations: P10, 10th percentile; P90, 90th percentile. P-value for U-Mann–Whitney test.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Bootstrapping of 25,000 samples to evaluate factors influencing Physician’s Knowledge of MDD. For Figures a and c, the red lines represent the 95% confidence interval, while the blue dashed line represents the proportion of physicians with adequate knowledge in the original sample. For Figure b, the blue dashed line represents the proportion of physicians with adequate knowledge in the original sample, and the red line represents the regression line.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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