INTRODUCTION: A principal strategy for the integration of mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings is the training of front-line workers in international consensus-based guidelines.
AIM: This paper presents a pilot study evaluating changes in knowledge and understanding as a result of a brief training course in Nepal.
METHOD: Evaluation questionnaires were distributed to participants in two-day courses (n = 109) before, directly after, and at two months following completion.
RESULTS: The course resulted in a post-training increase in correct answers of 21%, which further increased to 25% at two months.
CONCLUSION: A short training course based on widely endorsed guidelines to front-line staff can significantly increase mental health literacy for complex emergencies. While promising, the trend of knowledge gain is modest at most, and suggests a need for more intensive or more targeted training courses.