Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has required psychiatric and mental health professionals to change their practices to reduce the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2, in particular by favoring remote monitoring and assessment via digital technologies. Objective: As part of a research project that was cofunded by the French National Research Agency (ARN) and the Centre-Val de Loire Region, the aim of this systematic literature review was to investigate how such uses of digital technologies have been developing. Methods: This systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The search was carried out in the MEDLINE (ie, PubMed) and Cairn databases, as well as in a platform specializing in mental health, Ascodocpsy. The search yielded 558 results for the year 2020. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, first on titles and abstracts and then on full texts, 61 articles were included. Results: The analysis of the literature revealed a heterogeneous integration of digital technologies, not only depending on countries, contexts, and local regulations, but also depending on the modalities of care. Notwithstanding these variations, the use of videoconferencing has developed significantly, affecting working conditions and therapeutic relationships. For many psychiatric and mental health professionals, the pandemic has been an opportunity to build up their experience of remote care and, thus, better identify the possibilities and limits of these digital technologies. Conclusions: New uses of such technologies essentially consist of a transition from the classic consultation model toward teleconsultation and make less use of the specific potential of artificial intelligence. As professionals were not prepared for these uses, they were confronted with practical difficulties and ethical questions, such as the place of digital technology in care, confidentiality and protection of personal data, and equity in access to care. The COVID-19 health crisis questions how the organization of health care integrates the possibilities offered by digital technology, in particular to promote the autonomy and empowerment of mental health service users.

(1) Background: While in many countries, the psychiatric and mental health sectors had been in crisis for years, the onset of a novel coronavirus pandemic impacted their structures, organizations, and professionals worldwide. (2) Methods: To document the early impacts of the COVID-19 health crisis on psychiatry and mental health sectors, a systematic review of the international literature published in 2020 was conducted in PubMed (MEDLINE), Cairn.info, and SantéPsy (Ascodocpsy) databases. (3) Results: After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 72 articles from scientific journals were selected, including papers documenting the early impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the organization of psychiatric care delivery, work processes in psychiatry and mental health units, and personal experiences of mental health professionals. This review identified the contributions aimed at preventing the onset of mental disorders in the early stages of the health crisis. It lists the organizational changes that have been implemented in the first place to ensure continuity of psychiatric care while reducing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. It questions the evolution of the rights and duties of mental health professionals in the first months of the pandemic. (4) Discussion and conclusions: Although this literature review exclusively documented the early impacts of the COVID-19 health crisis, it is of significant interest, as it pictures the unprecedent situation in which psychiatry and mental health care professionals found themselves in the first stages of the pandemic. This work is a preliminary step of a study to be conducted with mental health professionals on an international scale—the Psy-GIPO2C project—based on more than 15 group interviews, 30 individual interviews, and 2000 questionnaires. The final aim of this study is to formulate concrete recommendations for decision-makers to improve work in psychiatry and mental health.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has not only impacted intensive care units, but all healthcare services generally. This PsyGipo2C project specifically investigates how psychiatry and mental health professionals have been affected by the reorganizations and constraints imposed, which have reshaped their often already difficult working conditions. Methods: Our research combined quantitative and qualitative methods, surveying and interviewing health professionals of all occupations working in psychiatric and mental health services. A questionnaire was completed by 1241 professionals from 10 European countries, and 13 group interviews were conducted across 5 countries. In addition to this, 31 individual interviews were conducted in Belgium and France. Results: Among the questionnaire respondents, 70.2% felt that their workload had increased, particularly due to their tasks being diversified and due to increased complexity in the provision of care. 48.9% felt that finding a work-life balance had become more difficult, and 59.5% felt their health had been affected by the crisis. The impact of the health crisis nevertheless varied across professions: our data provides insight into how the health measures have had a differential impact on professional tasks and roles across the various categories of occupations, obliging professionals to make various adaptations. The distress incurred has been linked not only to these new constraints in their work, but also to the combination of these with other pressures in their personal lives, which has consequently compromised their well-being and their ability to cope with multiple demands. Discussion: The COVID-19 health crisis has had varying impacts depending on the profession and access to remote work, sometimes leading to conflicts within the teams. The suffering expressed by the professionals was tied to their values and patterns of investment in work. Our research also highlights how these professionals made little use of the psychological supports offered, probably due to a reluctance to acknowledge that their mental health was affected.

Background: Palliative care has been successfully integrated into many Muslim-majority countries, most frequently in urbanised areas with developed health care systems. Less is known as to how the concept of palliative care is perceived by Muslim populations and health workers in rural, resource-limited contexts. Aim: This study seeks to explore whether the principles of palliative care are congruent with the perspectives of health professionals, families and communities in rural areas of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, in West Africa. Design: A qualitative research design was employed underpinned by a constructionist paradigm. Data were collected through 31 interviews and 8 focus groups. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Setting/participants: A total of 76 participants were recruited from across rural Mauritania; 33 health care professionals, 12 recently bereaved family members and 31 community leaders. Data collection occurred during training events in the capital and visits to villages and rural health posts. Results: Three major themes were identified. First, there is a perceived lack of congruency between an illness which limits life and the strong belief in destiny. The second theme describes the perceived barriers to communication of issues relating to palliative care. Finally, a good death is described, framed within the interplay of religious faith and cultural practices. Conclusion: The palliative care ethos is viewed positively by the majority of participants. The need to understand and respect a Muslim individual’s faith does not diminish our obligation to personalise palliative care provided for them and their family.

L’Organisation Mondiale de la Santé recommande l’allaitement maternel exclusif jusqu’à six mois et conseille de le poursuivre partiellement jusqu’à deux ans en plus d’une alimentation de complément appropriée et sûre. En Mauritanie, malgré quelques progrès, ces recommandations ne sont pas respectées. L’objectif de cette étude, réalisée à Nouakchott, était d’évaluer les pratiques d’allaitement et d’alimentation des enfants, et d’apprécier les facteurs associés à l’accomplissement de la durée optimale de l’allaitement maternel exclusif. La méthodologie a combiné des approches quantitatives et qualitatives. D’une part, une étude transversale descriptive a été réalisée par questionnaire auprès de 330 mères issues de différents départements de la capitale. D’autre part, vingt entretiens semi-directifs ont été réalisés auprès de grand-mères mauritaniennes afin d’appréhender leurs rôles et perceptions à propos de l’alimentation des nourrissons. Avant six mois, le taux d’allaitement maternel exclusif était de 18,4 %, celui de l’allaitement prédominant était de 44,3 % et celui de l’allaitement partiel avec un autre lait était de 28,1 %. De plus, 9,2 % des nourrissons recevaient une alimentation complémentaire. La durée optimale de l’allaitement maternel exclusif était connue de 50,5 % des mères mais 14,2 % la respectaient. Parmi les facteurs associés significativement au respect de la durée optimale de l’allaitement maternel exclusif, on note un âge maternel de 35 ans au moins et la multiparité. En entretien, les grand-mères connaissaient certaines recommandations nutritionnelles, mais contestaient leur intérêt au regard de leur expérience. Leurs conseils contredisaient certaines recommandations médicales. Notre étude a révélé des inadéquations sur les connaissances et, davantage, sur les pratiques des mères en matière d’alimentation des enfants. L’écart entre connaissances et pratiques peut notamment s’expliquer par une relativisation de certaines recommandations connues par les mères, mais aussi par la confrontation des recommandations médicales aux recommandations traditionnelles défendues par les grand-mères.

Introduction : Sous l’impulsion de larges programmes internationaux ciblant spécifiquement la survie néonatale, un ensemble de pratiques de soins recommandées sont promues en Afrique de l’Ouest. À partir des données d’une étude anthropologique multicentrique, nous proposons d’interroger comment les pratiques locales intègrent les recommandations diffusées par ces programmes. Méthode : Les enquêtes ont été réalisées dans des localités rurales de cinq pays : Bénin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritanie, Togo. Sur chaque site, les investigations ont combiné une ethnographie des soins aux nouveau-nés et des entretiens approfondis dans les maternités et aux domiciles. Résultats : Les soins aux nouveau-nés s’accordent à un ensemble de représentations et de logiques sociales locales, les recommandations médicales étant intégrées de manière hétérogène. Dans les maternités, les professionnels de santé rencontrent des difficultés à mettre en œuvre les pratiques recommandées, et opèrent diverses conciliations face aux contraintes matérielles et sociales locales. Du côté des familles, les « messages » promouvant les soins favorables à la survie des nouveau-nés ponctuent les propos, mais donnent lieu à diverses interprétations et à de variables modifications des soins. Discussion : L’irrégulière intégration des recommandations médicales dans les soins aux nouveau-nés est analysée autour de trois axes : les divergences d’intentionnalités autour de la naissance et de l’accueil du nouveau-né, les dissonances entre les soins préconisés et les conceptions locales du nouveau-né, l’influence des relations de pouvoir intrafamiliales. Considérant la complexité des changements en matière de soins néonataux, nous plaidons en faveur d’une mise en œuvre des programmes respectueuse à la fois des cultures d’accueil du nouveau-né, et des compétences des professionnels de santé à concilier des contraintes contradictoires.