Page 144 - Demo

Chapter 6142and uncertainties regarding reimbursement could hinder the organisation of care and support.Everyone is also concerned about whether it fits into that box, whether there’s adequate reimbursement. (F3, MHNP)Participants often experienced confusion about where to request a formal IQ test and how it should be funded. A low IQ, or the absence of an IQ test, could be an exclusion criterion for specialised care, potentially denying patients access to treatments and expertise from which they could benefit. Additionally, available care or support did not always adequately align with the needs of individuals with MID, leading to patients being referred back to the GP if they could not articulate their needs or did not benefit sufficiently from the treatment provided.And they [MH services] have a limit for the IQ, and if they say, ‘you have an IQ below 75, goodbye, we’re not going to start with that, figure it out yourself’. (F2, GP)Waiting times for MH services are often long, and significant bureaucracy in referrals is reported. For these reasons, participants felt that sometimes the maximum achievable outcome was to continue monitoring patients themselves, without the possibility of involving external professionals.Collaboration in the healthcare chain Often, multiple professionals are involved in the care for this patient group. Regularly, there is a lack of coordination among these providers, as patients and their network may not be able to fulfil this role. Practitioners in this study often assumed the coordination role but faced challenges, as other care professionals might not be easily accessible, changed frequently, lacked adequate feedback mechanisms, and might be uncertain about roles and responsibilities. Lack of knowledge about MID among professionals involved was also an issue. When an MH trajectory is not functioning as intended, the GP is often the first point of contact for both the patient and other involved professionals. This may lead to feelings of irritation, as experienced by this participant: Katrien Pouls sHL.indd 142 24-06-2024 16:26