Proposal for selection of mental health indicators in the management of health networks: from heuristic to process modeling

Abstract In 2011, Brazil instituted the Psychosocial Care Network (RAPS) for people suffering from mental disorders and needs arising from the use of alcohol and other drugs within the Unified Health System an electronic information system that supports the planning, regulation, control and evaluation of mental health actions. Several studies have been done to select a complete set of indicators for mental health in Brazil; however, these studies do not describe how these principles are transposed into indicators. In this work we will use Business Process Management Notation (BPMN) to analyze the process of patient care in a mental health unit and to search through this analysis to select and map those that apply to the specific RAPS institutions. We propose a method, using process modeling along the Thornicroft and Tansella matrix, to select the relevant indicators and their mapping along the network. The method was effective allowing the application of indicators to the concrete reality of a psychiatric hospital in Brazil.