Analysis of the Current Status and Demand for Mental Health Knowledge Among Grassroots Medical Workers in Tongxiang City.

The mean mental health knowledge score among 503 grassroots medical workers was 53.22 ± 17.44 out of 70 points following systematic training.

• 503 medical staff from various levels and types of medical institutions in Tongxiang city, China were surveyed.
• All participants had undergone systematic mental health training prior to assessment.
• Data were collected 1-2 days after training completion.
• The score indicates a foundational but variable level of knowledge, with significant inter-individual variation noted.

Over 80% of respondents rated mental health knowledge and skills training items as 'urgently needed' or 'needed', with some items exceeding 90%.

• This finding was obtained using the 'Questionnaire on Training Needs of Medical Staff'.
• The high demand applied across mental health service training content items.
• Some specific knowledge and skills items were rated as urgently needed or needed by more than 90% of respondents.

Short-term training workshops were the preferred training delivery approach, with centralized on-site lectures or distance education as the favored formats.

• High demand was reported for theoretical knowledge sessions, simulated case-based discussions, simulation exercises, and internship practice.
• The preferred training duration was half a working day per session.
• Multiple factors were found to affect training effectiveness, including training time, format, and content.

The leading motivations for participating in mental health training were job requirements, personal professional development needs, and skill enhancement.

• The main barriers to participating in training were workload or scheduling conflicts.
• Time constraints and insufficient course practicality of the modules were identified as main barriers.
• These motivations and barriers were identified through the 'Questionnaire on Training Needs of Medical Staff'.

Significant differences were observed in the proportion of mental health service needs by primary job position, specialty, professional title, and years of service.

• Statistical significance was at p < 0.05 for all these demographic variables.
• The Kruskal-Wallis (K-W) test was used to compare demand for psychiatric services and total psychiatric knowledge scores.
• Total mental health knowledge scores also varied significantly by primary job position, years of service, and prior participation in mental health work (p < 0.05).
• Specialty and professional title were associated with differences in service needs but not specifically noted as significant for total knowledge scores.