Perceived levels of mental health service accessibility and associated factors among psychiatric outpatients in Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2024

Background We live in multifaceted, dynamic and interconnected world in which the importance of physical, mental, and social wellbeing has not been well emphasized. Given the intricate nature of life, it is clear that mental health is essential to the welfare of people, communities, nations, and the entire planet. The main tactic to address unmet mental health needs has been to integrate psychiatric treatment into primary care, however this approach has been ineffective, and psychiatric services have been concentrated in Ethiopia and other major cities in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to assess the perceived levels of mental health service accessibility and associated factors among psychiatric outpatients at Amanuel mental specialized hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2024. Objective To assess the perceived levels of mental health service accessibility and associated factors among psychiatric outpatients at Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2024. Methods Institution-based cross-sectional study were employed from 03 January, to 03 February 2024. A total of 415 participants were participated. A systematic sampling technique was used. Binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify the factors associated with service accessibility. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and p-value less than 0.05 during multivariable logistic regression were used to declare the factors associated with the outcome variable. Results The perceived level of mental health service accessibility was 10.4%; 95% CI: (7.5%, 25. 9%).Service accessibility was associated with urban resident [(AOR = 3.563, 95% CI: (1.065, 11.9155)], and Medication access [(AOR = 2.604, 95%CI: (1.220, 5.555)]. Conclusions and recommendations The study observed that the prevalence of perceived service accessibility was found to be low in this study. Availability of medication and urban resident are the factors associated with perceived level of mental health service accessibility. There is a need to have proper coordination and cooperation among various mental health service providers.