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. 2019 Nov 16;13:72. doi: 10.1186/s13033-019-0328-1

Table 3.

Definition of key network and organisation metrics.

Table contents adapted from [47]

Metric Definition and mental health system interpretation
Network metrics
 Density Ratio of the number of connections to the number of possible connections in the network. A dense network indicates that organisations are well-connected and information/resources flow rapidly between them
 Average degree Average number of relationships in the network. Like density, this assumes that more connections indicate greater information/resource flow between organisations
 Average distance Number of connections that separate two organisations, whereby an average distance of 1 indicates that all organisations are directly connected
 Degree centralisation Ratio of the sum of the differences in centrality between the most central organisation and all other organisations in the network to the largest possible sum of these differences. Higher values indicate a more centralised network
Organisation metrics
 In-degree centrality Number of direct connections an organisation has with other organisations as reported by partnering organisations. A measure of the importance of each organisation. Identifies which organisations act as stewards organisations in the network
 Betweenness Extent that an organisation is located on the path between other organisations (indirect connections). The extent that an organisation is a bridge between other organisations