Māori Models of Adult Inpatient Mental Health Services: An Integrative Literature Review

Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, experience higher rates of mental health admissions, seclusions and poorer outcomes. Current mental health services are largely based on Western models of care and do not address the needs of Māori. This integrative review aimed to identify, critically appraise and synthesise evidence on Māori models of inpatient mental health services. Whittemore and Knafl's integrative review procedure was used. Pubmed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, Proquest and Google were searched for records published between 2014 and 2024 in English or the Māori language. Included studies had to refer to Māori models of adult inpatient mental health services or aspects of such services relevant to Māori. Studies were critically appraised using the Joanna Briggs tools and evaluated for Māori responsiveness using the Te Ara Tika Guidelines. This review is consistent with the PRISMA guidelines. Twenty-five publications were included and comprised qualitative and quantitative studies, reviews and policy articles. Eight studies used kaupapa Māori research methods. One hundred and nine Māori participants were included across the studies, of which 21 were service users, three were family members and the remainder were healthcare professionals. The current evidence base on Māori models of care for inpatient mental health services in Aotearoa New Zealand is very limited. Four main themes were identified, which included an urgent need to transform inpatient mental health services for Māori, to embed cultural processes and values throughout such services, to involve service users and family in the co-design of services and to increase Māori research on inpatient mental health services.