Addressing Mental Health Needs After a Public Health Crisis in Southern Switzerland: Stakeholders’ Perspectives

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Objectives: This paper examines a stakeholder engagement initiative to develop public health recommendations for addressing mental health gaps after the COVID-19 pandemic in southern Switzerland. It explores local healthcare professionals' experiences with the pandemic's impact on mental health and service use. Methods: We used a stakeholder dialogue methodology based on participatory research. After mapping, we selected participants based on their power and interest on the subject. Data were gathered through two structured dialogues. We conducted thematic content analysis to identify and interpret patterns within dialogues. We used multi-step coding to assign codes to text segments, grouping similar patterns into themes and subthemes while ensuring consistency and exclusivity. Results: Thirty-two healthcare stakeholders from diverse sectors across urban and rural southern Switzerland participated in the dialogues. They emphasized flexible mental health service restructuring to address evolving patient needs and advocated for stronger prevention and promotion efforts, especially for vulnerable groups. Conclusion: Engaging local healthcare stakeholders turned up as an effective strategy to derive public health recommendations to improve mental health prevention and promotion along with the access and use of related services.

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