Strategies to improve medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia: the role of support services

Schizophrenia and medication adherence: Associated factors

BACKGROUND

Schizophrenia is a chronic condition that requiring maintenance treatment with antipsychotic medication. Medication adherence is essential to improve the symptoms of this health problem reduce relapses and readmissions and achieve treatment goals. The rate of challenges associated with medication adherence in schizophrenia is reported to be 26.5-85.1 %.

PURPOSE

This study was conducted to determine factors associated with medication adherence in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia.

METHODS

A descriptive correlational research design was used. The study was completed with a total of 162 participants diagnosed with schizophrenia, between February-June 2021, at a Community Mental Health Center. Regression analysis (Model: enter and stepwise) was used to determine associated factors.

RESULTS

The mean medication adherence score of individual diagnosed with schizophrenia indicated that more than half of the participants (52 %) had poor medication adherence. In individual diagnosed with schizophrenia, medication attitudes, level of internalized stigma, the status of regular attendance to appointments, belief in recovery, and using medicines as prescribed were complicating factors for medication adherence (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Medication adherence in individuals with diagnosed schizophrenia may be multifactorial. Mental health professionals should consider associated factors and implement a personalized treatment plan in this direction for strengthening adherence to medication treatment.

Diabetic Ketoacidosis Associated With Second Generation Antipsychotics: A Case Study and Review of Literature

OBJECTIVE

Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) have revolutionized the treatment of psychiatric disorders, but are associated with significant metabolic risks, including diabetes and hyperglycemic crises. This review explores the complex interplay between antipsychotics, diabetes, and hyperglycemic crises, highlighting the mechanisms underlying SGA-induced diabetes.

METHODS

We present the case of a patient with schizophrenia who was taking antipsychotic medication and was admitted to the emergency room due to the sudden onset of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) without any history of diabetes. We extensively searched databases, including Elsevier, PubMed, IEEE, SpringerLink, and Google Scholar, for papers on the effects of antipsychotic drugs on DKA from 2002 to 2021. We focused on DKA, hyperglycemia, and atypical antipsychotics, and retrieved 117 papers. After full-text review, 32 papers were included in this comprehensive review.

RESULTS

DKA was significantly more frequent in patients taking SGAs. Antipsychotics can induce insulin resistance either directly or through the onset of obesity. Antipsychotics can reduce insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells, which is associated with absolute insulin deficiency.

CONCLUSION

As the use of antipsychotics continues to increase, understanding their risks and mechanisms is crucial for clinicians to enable informed treatment decisions and prevent potentially life-threatening complications.

Adherence of patients with schizophrenia to hypothyroidism treatment

Adherence to prescription medications is critical for both remission from schizophrenia and control of physical comorbidities. While schizophrenia with comorbid hypothyroidism is common, there is little research on adherence to hypothyroidism treatment in this population. The current study used a retrospective, matched case-control design. The cohort included 1,252 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to ICD-10 and 3,756 controls matched for gender, age, socioeconomic status and ethnicity without diagnosis of schizophrenia. All data were retrieved from the electronic medical database of a large health maintenance organization. Retrieved data included demographics, thyroid functionality test results and prescribed medications. Measures of adherence to therapy were used for analyses as were data from follow-ups of patients with hypothyroidism. A diagnosis of hypothyroidism was found in 299 patients, 115 of whom were also diagnosed with schizophrenia. The 184 without schizophrenia constituted the control group. No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups regarding prescriptions for L-thyroxin and TSH levels and number of TSH tests. Adherence of patients with schizophrenia to hypothyroidism treatment was found to be as good as that of individuals without a schizophrenia diagnosis.

Investigating the Effect of Adherence to Antipsychotic Therapy on the Length of Stay and Number of Hospitalizations in Patients with Schizophrenia - A Descriptive Analysis

Background

Optimizing long-term outcomes in schizophrenia treatment requires effective pharmacological interventions. Medication adherence is known to influence clinical outcomes, yet there is a scarcity of studies examining its correlation with factors like Length of Stay (LOS) and re-hospitalization frequency. These outcomes are crucial indicators of how medication adherence affects overall patient well-being.

Purpose

This study aims to describe the effect of medication adherence on the length of stay (LOS) and number of hospitalizations in patients with schizophrenia.

Patients and Methods

A total of 157 subjects from the West Java Psychiatric Hospital were included in this cross-sectional retrospective study. Data, including demographics, comorbidities, duration of illness, antipsychotic adherence, LOS, and the number of hospitalizations, were collected from the patients' medical records. All the data were analyzed using the Chi-Square (χ²) test with a significance level set at p < 0.05.

Results

Our findings showed that 88% of all schizophrenia inpatients were in the nonadherence group. The highest (40.7%) LOS (>30 days) was found in the non-adherence group with discontinued therapy/stopped therapy group, while the highest percentage of patients with less than five hospitalizations was identified in the obedient and regular therapy group (94.4%). In the statistical results, we observed a significant association between therapy adherence (p = 0.043) and therapy regimen (p = 0.014) with gender. Additionally, the distinction between male and female schizophrenia patients demonstrated statistical significance (p = 0.000).

Conclusion

In this study, therapy adherence and therapy regimen were found to have a significant association with gender, as well as differences between the number of male and female schizophrenia patients that were statistically significant. While other variables may exhibit clinical associations, their statistical significance has not been fully depicted. The results of this study could be preliminary study for subsequent observational studies.

Exploring patient medication adherence and data mining methods in clinical big data: A contemporary review

BACKGROUND

Increasingly, patient medication adherence data are being consolidated from claims databases and electronic health records (EHRs). Such databases offer an indirect avenue to gauge medication adherence in our data-rich healthcare milieu. The surge in data accessibility, coupled with the pressing need for its conversion to actionable insights, has spotlighted data mining, with machine learning (ML) emerging as a pivotal technique. Nonadherence poses heightened health risks and escalates medical costs. This paper elucidates the synergistic interaction between medical database mining for medication adherence and the role of ML in fostering knowledge discovery.

METHODS

We conducted a comprehensive review of EHR applications in the realm of medication adherence, leveraging ML techniques. We expounded on the evolution and structure of medical databases pertinent to medication adherence and harnessed both supervised and unsupervised ML paradigms to delve into adherence and its ramifications.

RESULTS

Our study underscores the applications of medical databases and ML, encompassing both supervised and unsupervised learning, for medication adherence in clinical big data. Databases like SEER and NHANES, often underutilized due to their intricacies, have gained prominence. Employing ML to excavate patient medication logs from these databases facilitates adherence analysis. Such findings are pivotal for clinical decision-making, risk stratification, and scholarly pursuits, aiming to elevate healthcare quality.

CONCLUSION

Advanced data mining in the era of big data has revolutionized medication adherence research, thereby enhancing patient care. Emphasizing bespoke interventions and research could herald transformative shifts in therapeutic modalities.

Real-world effectiveness of long-acting injectable antipsychotic treatments in a nationwide cohort of 12,373 patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders

This mirror-image study aimed to evaluate the real-life effectiveness of long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAI) in schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia initiating LAIs January 2015-December 2016 were enrolled from the French National Health Data System (SNDS). Standardized mean differences (SMD > 0.1 deemed clinically significant) were calculated for psychiatric healthcare resource utilization measures assessed one year before (during oral AP treatment) and one year after LAI initiation. LAI effectiveness was analyzed overall and by age group, gender and compliance to oral AP, defined as exposure to an AP for at least 80% of the year before LAI initiation. 12,373 patients were included. LAIs were more frequently initiated in men (58.1%), young (18-34 years, 42.0%) and non-compliant (63.7%) patients. LAI initiation was effective in reducing the number and duration of psychiatric hospitalizations and psychiatric emergency department (ED) admissions in non-compliant patients (SMD = -0.19, -0.26 and -0.12, respectively), but not in compliant patients. First-generation LAIs, paliperidone and aripiprazole LAIs reduced psychiatric hospitalizations (SMD = -0.20, -0.24, -0.21, respectively) and ED admissions (SMD = -0.15, -0.13, -0.15, respectively). No differences in effectiveness were found for age or gender. In compliant patients, only aripiprazole LAI reduced the number of psychiatric hospitalizations (SMD = -0.13). Risperidone and paliperidone LAIs increased hospitalization duration (SMD = 0.15 and 0.18, respectively). The prescription of LAIs (except risperidone) should be recommended in all non-compliant patients, even in women and patients aged 35 or older. The lower frequency of administration of LAIs than of oral APs may improve compliance and hence reduce the risk of relapse. Aripiprazole LAI may represent a treatment of choice for compliant patients that should be further investigated.

Improving kidney care for people with severe mental health difficulties: a thematic analysis of twenty-two healthcare providers' perspectives

Introduction

People with severe mental health difficulties (SMHDs) and concurrent kidney disease have less access to quality kidney care and worse clinical outcomes. Our research investigates the barriers and facilitators to effective kidney care for people with SMHDs, and how care might be improved for this underserved population.

Methods

We conducted semi-structured interviews with twenty-two physical (n = 14) and mental (n = 8) healthcare professionals with experience working with people with SMHDs and concurrent kidney disease. Interview data were analysed and interpreted using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

Four themes were generated from the data: 1. "It's about understanding their limitations and challenges, without limiting their rights" describes how some people with SMHDs need additional support when accessing kidney care due to challenges with their mental state, motivation, cognitive difficulties, or mistrust of the healthcare system. 2. "There are people falling through the cracks" describes how the separation of physical and mental healthcare, combined with under-resourcing and understaffing, results in poorer outcomes for people with SMHDs. 3. "Psychiatry is a black spot in our continuing medical education" describes how many renal healthcare providers have limited confidence in their understanding of mental health and their ability to provide care for people with SMHDs. 4. "When they present to a busy emergency department with a problem, the staff tend to go '…psych patient"" describes how stigma towards people with SMHDs can negatively impact quality of care.

Conclusion

Healthcare professionals accounts' describe how people with SMHDs and kidney disease can have favourable outcomes if they have appropriate hospital, community and social supports. Findings indicate that effective management of kidney disease for people with SMHDs requires integrated physical and mental health care, which takes an individualised "whole person" approach to addressing the interaction between kidney disease and mental health.

Development of the PREMIUM Computerized Adaptive Testing for Measuring the Quality of Information Delivered to Patients with Severe Mental Illnesses

Measuring the quality of information delivered to patients with severe mental illness (SMI), i.e., schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and major depressive disorders, is essential to improve their quality of care. In this work, we described the different steps of the validation of the PREMIUM computerized adaptive testing (CAT) for measuring the quality of information delivered to patients with SMI. The PREMIUM item bank regarding information included 25 items. A total of 499 patients with schizophrenia (53%), bipolar disorders (26%), and major depressive disorders (22%) were recruited from numerous in- and outpatient settings in France. Unidimensionality, local independence, and monotonicity were verified for 19 items of the item bank. The psychometric properties were satisfactory for both internal (RMSEA = 0.069, CFI = 0.969, TLI = 0.963) and external validity (in particular, significant associations were found with age, educational level, and social functioning). The CAT exhibited satisfactory accuracy and precision (standard error of measurement <0.55 and root mean square error <0.3), with an average administration of eight items. This CAT may be used by healthcare professionals in psychiatric settings to accurately assess the patients’ experience with information.

Systematic Literature Review of Text Messaging Interventions to Promote Medication Adherence Among People With Serious Mental Illness

OBJECTIVE

Mobile health tools are feasible options to encourage behavior change among patients with serious mental illness. Mobile health tools vary widely, both in platforms used and content delivered. This literature review assessed the use of text messaging interventions to promote medication adherence among patients with serious mental illness.

METHODS

A systematic literature review using PRISMA guidelines examined short message service (SMS) text messaging interventions promoting medication adherence to people with a serious mental illness diagnosis. Databases included PubMed, Cochrane, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. Data extraction included demographic information, participant diagnoses, intervention components, medication class, adherence measures, research design, and study outcomes. Study quality was also assessed.

RESULTS

Of 114 full-text articles screened, 10 articles were selected from nine unique interventions (N=937 people with serious mental illness). Study durations ranged from 30 days to 18 months, with frequency of SMS ranging from twice weekly to 12 times daily. Of the nine unique trials, most reported using an automated server to deliver SMS messages (N=7), two-way SMS capabilities (N=6), customized message content or timing (N=7), and additional components (e.g., provider contact, educational content, and monetary rewards) (N=7). Seven of the 10 articles reported statistically significant improvement in medication adherence and in at least one clinical outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence to date indicates that text messaging interventions are feasible and appear to improve medication adherence and clinical outcomes among patients with serious mental illness. Future research should assess implementation approaches and how to scale up efforts in nonresearch settings.

User Perspectives on Professional Support and Service Use During Psychiatric Medication Discontinuation

Psychiatric medication discontinuation is common and can have negative impacts. Until recently, most research on discontinuation happened in an adherence/compliance framework. There is now recognition that discontinuation may be a desired goal for many individuals. The purpose of the present paper is to describe the results of a pioneering survey to explore professional support to service users during medication discontinuation to inform clinical practice and guide future research. Survey responses from 250 service users were summarized with regard to their use of prescriber and psychotherapy services during the process of discontinuing psychiatric medication. Only 65% of respondents reported seeing a prescriber and less than 50% reported seeing a psychotherapist while attempting to discontinue psychiatric medication. Combined with respondents' answers describing the decision-making process and support received from these services, this paper identifies gaps in service and the need to improve providers' ability to support individuals while they discontinue psychiatric medication.

Severe Mental Illness and Cardiovascular Disease: JACC State-of-the-Art Review

People with severe mental illness, consisting of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression, have a high burden of modifiable cardiovascular risk behaviors and conditions and have a cardiovascular mortality rate twice that of the general population. People with acute and chronic cardiovascular disease are at a higher risk of developing mental health symptoms and disease. There is emerging evidence for shared etiological factors between severe mental illness and cardiovascular disease that includes biological, genetic, and behavioral mechanisms. This state-of-the art review will describe the relationship between severe mental illness and cardiovascular disease, explore the factors that lead to poor cardiovascular outcomes in people with severe mental illness, propose strategies to improve the cardiovascular health of people with severe mental illness, and present areas for future research focus.

Treatment adherence to psychotropic drugs among non-Western migrants: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Low medication adherence is a significant challenge in all medical fields and particularly in mental health treatment, where a lack of insight into one's own disease can repress the ability to adhere. In recent years, the increase in migration combined with a high prevalence of mental illnesses among migrants and the possible consequences of nonadherence, point towards the need for a focus on adherence with psychotropic drugs among migrants.

AIM

To review current literature, exploring the potential impact of being a migrant from a non-Western country living in a Western country on the level of adherence to psychotropic medication and subsequently to discuss these findings.

METHODS

A systematic review of studies investigating adherence among non-western migrants was conducted. The literature search was conducted using PubMed and Embase databases in October 2020.

RESULTS

Seven observational studies were included, all ranging from moderate to high-quality. Six out of seven studies found an association between being a non-Western migrant in a Western country and low adherence to psychotropic drugs.

CONCLUSION

Studies indicate an association between being a non-Western migrant in a Western country and low adherence to psychotropic drugs. None of the included studies investigated possible causes of the low adherence in migrants. Communication difficulties are, however, considered possible barriers to healthcare access and a contributing factor to nonadherence. There is a need for studies assessing the possible impact of interventions aiming at increasing adherence such as intercultural mediators and training of healthcare providers in cultural competencies.

Mental Health Care Provider's Perspectives Toward Adopting a Novel Technology to Improve Medication Adherence

Objective

To understand perspectives of mental health care providers regarding barriers and drivers of adopting a medication ingestible event monitoring (IEM) system in clinical practice.

Methods

Between April and October 2019, a cross‐sectional, online survey was conducted among 131 prescribing clinicians and 119 non‐prescribing clinicians providing care to patients with major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

Results

Most prescribing clinicians were physicians (79.4%) while most non‐prescribing clinicians (52.9%) were licensed clinical social workers, followed by counselors (30.8%), clinical psychologists (13.4%), and case managers (2.5%). Most respondents (93.2%) reported that clinicians can influence adherence, that the IEM technology was in their patients' best interest (63.6%), and a willingness to beta test the technology (54.8%). Support was positively associated with prescribing clinicians (OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.1, 4.5), belief that antipsychotics reduce the health, social, or financial consequences of the condition (OR: 3.8; 95% CI: 1.3, 11.0), concern for patients' well‐being without monitoring (OR: 3.3; 95% CI: 1.2, 8.7), and belief the technology will enhance clinical alliance (OR: 3.1; 95% CI: 1.5, 6.3) or improve patient engagement (OR: 3.0; 95% CI: 1.5, 6.2). Support was inversely related to concerns about appropriate follow‐up actions (OR: 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2, 0.9) and responsibilities (OR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1, 0.8) when using the technology.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that IEM sensor technology adoption will depend upon additional evidence that patients will actively engage in the use of the technology, will benefit from the technology through improved outcomes, and that the additional burden placed upon providers is minimal compared to the potential benefit.

Among clinicians with prescribing authority, 91.6% are concerned about the quality of self‐reported medication adherence and 75.6% reported that the IEM sensor technology would be in their patients' “best interest”.

Most prescribing (85.5%) and non‐prescribing (74.0%) clinicians believe that the IEM sensor technology will either improve patient outcomes or practice efficiency.

A key barrier to adoption appears to be concern about how to incorporate these data into practice.

Effectiveness of Interventions to Promote Medication Adherence in Schizophrenic Populations in Thailand: A Systematic Review

Medication non-adherence is a leading cause of poor treatment outcomes among Thai patients with psychiatric disorders and creates challenges for psychiatric nurses. This systematic review synthesized research on intervention effectiveness for antipsychotic medication adherence in Thai schizophrenic populations. Following PRISMA guidelines, searches were completed in seven databases, including PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, ThaiJO, and Google Scholar. No restriction dates were used. Screening and extraction of data were performed systematically. Eligible studies consisted of nine quasi-experimental and two randomized control trial studies. The Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-MAStARI) was used to assess the studies’ methodological quality. This review revealed that individual counseling combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI) techniques improved and maintained medication adherence behavior over time. Post-testing after intervention completion and at 3- and 6-month follow-ups showed that treatment group participants were more adherent than control group participants (p < 0.01). These findings suggest that incorporating CBT and MI into clinical practice can enhance medication adherence behavior. Booster session efficacy for reinforcing and sustaining adherence should be investigated. Greater rigor is warranted in future intervention studies based on a quality appraisal of previous studies.

Care at door-steps for persons with severe mental disorders: A pilot experience from Karnataka district mental health program

BACKGROUND

Public funded outreach services for persons with severe mental disorders (SMDs), a norm in developed nations, is non-existent in India. We share our pilot experience with an indigenous model named 'Care at Doorsteps' (CADs) for persons with SMDs who dropped out from clinical care of District Mental Health Program (DMHP) at three sites of Karnataka, a south Indian state.

AIM

The objectives of this study were to identify the reasons for drop outs from routine care and to assess the burden of illness and disability after the intervention.

METHODOLOGY

Six-month prospective observational study on patients aged 18-60 years, diagnosed as Schizophrenia or bipolar disorder was conducted. Three home visits were made by the team and provided medications, also offered brief psychoeducation and counselling. Care-givers were interviewed to identify the reasons for drop outs and their expectations from the treating team. Patients were also assessed using the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI), Indian Disability Evaluation and Assessment Scale (IDEAS) and Burden Assessment Schedule (BAS) during each visit.

RESULTS

Ninety-six patients (50 males and 46 females) were followed up, of which 85 had a diagnosis of schizophrenia and 11 with bipolar illness. Common reasons for drop out were: single caregiver (breadwinner) unable to accompany the patient, loss of faith in medical treatment and financial constraints. Symptomatic improvement and restoration of productive work were the priority expectations. Over the course, the mean CGI-S showed significant reduction (4.81 ± 1.57, 4.46 ± 1.32 and 4.11 ± 1.39 respectively; p = 0.001). Mean score on BAS showed a significant reduction (85.76 ± 12.15, 83.46 ± 11.30, 84.27 ± 11.82; p = 0.04). Mean total IDEAS scores did not show significant change (13.27 ± 4.78, 12.82 ± 4.24, 13.17 ± 4.40; p = 0.16).

CONCLUSION

Meaningful assertive outreach care is feasible in India and is found to be useful for persons with SMDs by utilising the already existing public sector resources.

Interventions to Improve Medication Adherence in People with Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review

Nonadherence to medications is very common in people with schizophrenia. Numerous methods have been implemented to improve medication adherence. The study aimed to determine what interventions have been used and to assess the effectiveness of these in improving medication adherence in people with schizophrenia. Two electronic databases (PubMed and Science Direct) and a manual search were used to locate RCT studies that examined interventions in medication adherence for schizophrenia, published between 2011 and 2022. The search was conducted using the terms (schizophrenia OR schizophrenic) AND (interventions OR adherence therapy) AND (medication adherence OR medication compliance). Sixteen studies were included, and relevant data were extracted and selected. Sixteen studies used interventions that involve family, health professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, and pharmacists), SMS, and smart electronic reminders. Medication adherence was measured using medication refill records from hospital dispensing records or claim databases, electronic devices, plasma blood concentration, and participant self-reporting. Thirteen out of 15 studies showed significant improvements in adherence compared to routine care. The other three studies did not result in improved medication adherence. Interventions with diverse strategies delivered to individuals with schizophrenia showed the potential to reduce medication non-adherence in people with schizophrenia so that they can be utilized as an alternative to support treatment in people with schizophrenia in addition to antipsychotic medication. In future research strategies, it will be necessary to identify the main problems regarding nonadherence in people with schizophrenia individually and also identify the patient's perception of medication, illness, and behavior when taking medication in order to determine the next intervention that will be appropriate based on the patient's needs to improve adherence.

Understanding the Treatment Preferences of People Living with Schizophrenia in Australia; A Patient Value Mapping Study

PURPOSE

To examine the treatment and long-term outcome preferences for people living with schizophrenia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Sixty-six Australian adults, living with schizophrenia completed a novel online survey with six sections: Demographic characteristics; Disease history; Quality-of-life; Patient support programmes; Discrete Choice Experiment, and Best-Worst Scaling exercise.

RESULTS

Participants indicated that they preferred to be involved in treatment decision with their doctor. A minority of participants reported having been previously involved in a patient support programme (28.8%) and only one in six participants had a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) package (16.7%) with over a third of participants indicating that they were ineligible (37.9%). Participants' average quality-of-life score was 60%.

CONCLUSION

Recent hospitalisation influenced the relative importance of treatment attributes, with effectiveness on hearing voices being the most important treatment attribute. The most important long-term goals were having a stable place to live, being independent, and physical health. People with schizophrenia care about their long-term functional recovery outcomes, rating symptom control and independence as their highest priority. They want to be part of the treatment conversation with their doctors. Therefore, psychiatrists are encouraged to use shared decision-making to establish the treatment course that best aligns with individuals' long-term goals.

Antipsychotic-Related Stigma and the Impact on Treatment Choices: A Systematic Review and Framework Synthesis

BACKGROUND

Antipsychotics are a class of medications primarily used to treat individuals with psychotic disorders. They have also been indicated for patients with other psychiatric conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder. Non-adherence is prominent amongst individuals prescribed antipsychotics, with medication-related self-stigma and social stigma identified as major factors. No previous reviews have focused on stigma associated specifically with antipsychotic medication. This systematic literature review aimed to synthesise evidence on the prevalence of stigmatising attitudes and behaviours related to antipsychotic treatment and understand their impact on antipsychotic treatment initiation and continuation.

METHODS

Two independent reviewers screened studies from databases, congress proceedings, ClinicalTrials.gov, and PsychU.org; relevant studies reported quantitative or qualitative data on antipsychotic-related stigma in adults with psychotic disorders, mood disorders, borderline personality disorder or anxiety disorders, or healthcare providers or caregivers of these patients, and any impact on treatment. Framework synthesis facilitated extraction and synthesis of relevant information; quantitative and qualitative data were coded and indexed against a pre-specified thematic framework by two independent reviewers.

RESULTS

Forty-five articles reporting on 40 unique studies were included; 22 reported quantitative data, 16 reported qualitative data, and two reported quantitative and qualitative data relating to antipsychotic-related stigma. Framework synthesis identified four themes: 1) impact of antipsychotic treatment on a) social stigma or b) self-stigma; 2) impact of side effects of antipsychotic treatment on a) social stigma or b) self-stigma; 3) impact of route of administration of antipsychotic treatment on stigma; 4) impact of stigma on the use of antipsychotics.

CONCLUSION

This systematic literature review found that antipsychotic-related social and self-stigma is a factor in non-adherence to antipsychotics. Further research should examine stigma in a wider range of patients and the extent to which clinicians' treatment decisions are impacted by the potential stigma associated with antipsychotic medications.

Early intervention services, patterns of prescription and rates of discontinuation of antipsychotic treatment in first-episode psychosis

AIMS

Non-compliance is still an important problem in psychotic patients. Although antipsychotic (AP) treatment leads to a decrease in psychotic relapses, there are no clear recommendations about how long treatment should be maintained after first-episode psychosis (FEP) and no indication of the rates and causes of treatment withdrawal in this group.

METHODS

We evaluated a large sample of patients with FEP for 2 years to compare the time to all-cause treatment discontinuation of AP drugs and the time to the first relapse. We collected the sociodemographic and psychopathological characteristics of the sample. The number of relapses was also recorded.

RESULTS

A total of 310 FEP patients were assessed across seven early intervention teams (mean age = 30.2 years; SD = 11.2). The most prevalent diagnosis at baseline was psychotic disorder not otherwise specified (36.1%), and the most commonly used APs were risperidone (26.5%) and olanzapine (18.7%). A lack of efficacy was the most frequent reason for the withdrawal of the first AP prescribed, followed by non-compliance. There were no differences in the relapse rates between different APs. Patients treated with long-acting injectable (LAI) APs presented less disengagement from services than patients treated with oral APs.

CONCLUSIONS

Although there were no differences between the different APs in terms of relapse rates, LAIs had higher retention rates than oral APs in early intervention services. Compliance is still an important issue in Psychiatry, so clinicians should use different strategies to encourage it, such as the use of LAI treatments.

Predictors of long-acting injectable antipsychotic treatment discontinuation in outpatients with schizophrenia: relevance of the Drug Attitude Inventory-10

Given the importance of patients' subjective experience and attitudes in the management of severe mental illness, the present study evaluated their potential role as predictors of future continuation of long-acting injectable antipsychotic maintenance treatment (LAI-AMT) in clinically stable outpatients with schizophrenia switching from an oral therapy. Retrospective data from 59 subjects receiving LAI-AMT for at least 6 months were collected. Patients who continued LAI treatment (n = 32) were compared to those who discontinued it (n = 27), assessing baseline socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, psychopathological features (Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale, Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale and Young Mania Rating Scale) and patient-reported experience of treatment through Drug Attitude Inventory 10-item (DAI-10) and Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptics short form. Binary logistic and Cox regression analyses explored the predictive role of the mentioned variables on treatment discontinuation. The Kaplan-Meier estimator compared dropout from LAI treatment in subsamples with different characteristics. Unemployment and lower baseline DAI-10 scores predicted LAI-AMT discontinuation. No major differences were detected in other socio-demographic, clinical or psychometric indexes. When switching from oral to LAI-AMT, the preliminary assessment of attitude towards drug might be clinically relevant, allowing the identification of patients at risk for treatment discontinuation.

Characterization of activity behavior using a digital medicine system and comparison to medication ingestion in patients with serious mental illness

Activity patterns can be important indicators in patients with serious mental illness. Here, we utilized an accelerometer and electrocardiogram incorporated within a digital medicine system, which also provides objective medication ingestion records, to explore markers of patient activity and investigate whether these markers of behavioral change are related to medication adherence. We developed an activity rhythm score to measure the consistency of step count patterns across the treatment regimen and explored the intensity of activity during active intervals. We then compared these activity features to ingestion behavior, both on a daily basis, using daily features and single-day ingestion behavior, and at the patient-level, using aggregate features and overall ingestion rates. Higher values of the single-day features for both the activity rhythm and activity intensity scores were associated with higher rates of ingestion on the following day. Patients with a mean activity rhythm score greater than the patient-level median were also shown to have higher overall ingestion rates than patients with lower activity rhythm scores (p = 0.004). These initial insights demonstrate the ability of digital medicine to enable the development of digital behavioral markers that can be compared to previously unavailable objective ingestion information to improve medication adherence.

A Rest Quality Metric Using a Cluster-Based Analysis of Accelerometer Data and Correlation With Digital Medicine Ingestion Data: Algorithm Development

Background

Adherence to medication regimens and patient rest are two important factors in the well-being of patients with serious mental illness. Both of these behaviors are traditionally difficult to record objectively in unsupervised populations.

Objective

A digital medicine system that provides objective time-stamped medication ingestion records was used by patients with serious mental illness. Accelerometer data from the digital medicine system was used to assess rest quality and thus allow for investigation into correlations between rest and medication ingestion.

Methods

Longest daily rest periods were identified and then evaluated using a k-means clustering algorithm and distance metric to quantify the relative quality of patient rest during these periods. This accelerometer-derived quality-of-rest metric, along with other accepted metrics of rest quality, such as duration and start time of the longest rest periods, was compared to the objective medication ingestion records. Overall medication adherence classification based on rest features was not performed due to a lack of patients with poor adherence in the sample population.

Results

Explorations of the relationship between these rest metrics and ingestion did seem to indicate that patients with poor adherence experienced relatively low quality of rest; however, patients with better adherence did not necessarily exhibit consistent rest quality. This sample did not contain sufficient patients with poor adherence to draw more robust correlations between rest quality and ingestion behavior. The correlation of temporal outliers in these rest metrics with daily outliers in ingestion time was also explored.

Conclusions

This result demonstrates the ability of digital medicine systems to quantify patient rest quality, providing a framework for further work to expand the participant population, compare these rest metrics to gold-standard sleep measurements, and correlate these digital medicine biomarkers with objective medication ingestion data.

Suicidal Behavior and Medication Adherence in Schizophrenic Patients

Suicide is one of the potential complications in the Schizophrenic patient population. This review article deals with the significance of antipsychotic medication compliance in decreasing suicidal behavior and hospitalizations in Schizophrenic patients. The medication adherence with second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) like clozapine and long-acting injectables (LAIs) like paliperidone is associated with decrease suicidal behavior and all-cause mortality in Schizophrenic patients. Concomitant treatment of depression and substance abuse disorder in this patient population is also associated with decreasing all-cause mortality and hospitalizations. On the other hand, long-term benzodiazepine use is associated with increase mortality in Schizophrenic patients. We also discuss some important physician intervention strategies to improve medication adherence in Schizophrenic patients like motivational interviewing (MI), behavioral tailoring (BT), and psychosocial interventions like cognitive behavior therapy (CBT).

The Importance of Suicide Risk Formulation in Schizophrenia

Suicide is a cause of early mortality in nearly 5% of patients with schizophrenia, and 25-50% of patients with schizophrenia attempt suicide in their lifetime. Evidence points to numerous individual, clinical, social, and psychological risk factors for suicide in patients with schizophrenia. Although recognizing suicidal risk factors in schizophrenia is extremely important in suicidal risk assessment, we have recently witnessed a change in suicide risk management that shifts the focus from suicide risk assessment to suicide risk formulation. Suicide risk formulation is dependent on the data gathered in the suicide risk assessment and assigns a level of suicide risk that is indispensable for the choice of treatment and the management of patients with a high suicidal risk. In this article, we extend the suicide risk formulation model to patients with schizophrenia. Suicide risk formulation results from four different areas that help clinicians collect as much information as possible for the management of suicidal risk. The four distinct judgments comprise risk status (the risk relating to the specific group to which the patient belongs), risk state (the risk for the person compared with his baseline or another reference point in the course of his life), available resources (on whom the person can count during a crisis) and foreseeable events (which can exacerbate the crisis). In schizophrenia, the suicide risk formulation model allows the clinician to evaluate in depth the clinical context of the patient, the patient's own history and patient-specific opportunities for better choosing and applying suicide prevention strategies.

Computational Mechanism for the Effect of Psychosis Community Treatment: A Conceptual Review From Neurobiology to Social Interaction

The computational underpinnings of positive psychotic symptoms have recently received significant attention. Candidate mechanisms include some combination of maladaptive priors and reduced updating of these priors during perception. A potential benefit of models with such mechanisms is their ability to link multiple levels of explanation, from the neurobiological to the social, allowing us to provide an information processing-based account of how specific alterations in self-self and self-environment interactions result in the experience of positive symptoms. This is key to improving how we understand the experience of psychosis. Moreover, it points us toward more comprehensive avenues for therapeutic research by providing a putative mechanism that could allow for the generation of new treatments from first principles. In order to demonstrate this, our conceptual paper will discuss the application of the insights from previous computational models to an important and complex set of evidence-based clinical interventions with strong social elements, such as coordinated specialty care clinics (CSC) in early psychosis and assertive community treatment (ACT). These interventions may include but also go beyond psychopharmacology, providing, we argue, structure and predictability for patients experiencing psychosis. We develop the argument that this structure and predictability directly counteract the relatively low precision afforded to sensory information in psychosis, while also providing the patient more access to external cognitive resources in the form of providers and the structure of the programs themselves. We discuss how computational models explain the resulting reduction in symptoms, as well as the predictions these models make about potential responses of patients to modifications or to different variations of these interventions. We also link, via the framework of computational models, the patient's experiences and response to interventions to putative neurobiology.

Factors associated with dropout from treatment: An exploratory study

AIM

To evaluate the factors associated with treatment dropout among patients attending the psychiatric outpatient services.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Seventy-two patients who dropped out from treatment were contacted and they were compared with 200 regular attendees for sociodemographic and clinical variables, medication adherence, treatment satisfaction, attitude toward medication, insight, and therapeutic alliance.

RESULTS

Compared to "regular attendees," those who dropped out from treatment were significantly older, were more likely to be married, had higher age of onset, had longer duration of illness, received less supervision for medication at home, higher proportion of them continued to remain symptomatic, had more negative attitude toward medications, had poorer insight, were poorly complaint with medication, were less satisfied with the treatment provided, and had poor quality of therapeutic alliance.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that dropout from treatment can be avoided by addressing issues of negative attitude toward medications, improving satisfaction with the treatment contact and enhancing therapeutic alliance.

The Effect of Switching to Long-Acting Injection (LAI) Antipsychotic Therapy on Patients with Schizophrenia

MATERIAL AND METHOD

We analyzed 362 patients with schizophrenia admitted during 2016 in an acute psychiatric ward and in a chronic psychiatric ward, diagnosed with paranoid or other schizophrenia, according to DSM-IV-TR, which, after remission of the symptoms of the acute episode, they benefited from antipsychotic therapy only in oral formulation. For some of these patients we instituted maintenance therapy with depot formulas. Patients were followed for up to two years.

RESULTS

Comparing the level of adherence to therapy, we found a statistically significant improvement, from 42.96% to 76.30%. Although we estimate that adherence to LAI therapy is over 90%, almost a quarter of patients have given up this type of treatment at some point due to side effects. Carrying out the comparative analysis of the number of hospitalizations per year, from the past and from the follow-up period, as well as of the scores registered at the scales used (PANSS, CGI, GAS, WHOQOL), in dynamics, we demonstrated the appearance of statistically significant changes.

CONCLUSIONS

the administration of antipsychotic therapy through LAI-type depot formulas can improve the therapeutic adherence of the patient with schizophrenia, thus improving the evolution of the disease and the quality of life.

The Use of the Japanese Public Financial Support Has Positive Impact on Persistence with Outpatient Treatments for Schizophrenia: Single-center Retrospective Cohort Study in Japan

PURPOSE

One of the challenges of treating schizophrenia is how to improve persistence with outpatient treatments. Lengthening community life by improving persistence and preventing relapse and rehospitalization can have positive influence on the patients' personal recovery and well-being. In Japan, there is "Medical Expenses for Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities" ("Jiritsu-shien-iryo-hi" in Japanese) which is the public financial support system for psychiatric outpatient treatments. However, it is not clear how this financial support affects persistence with outpatient treatments for patients with schizophrenia. The purpose of the study is to investigate how the financial support affects persistence with outpatient treatments for schizophrenia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data of outpatients who visited the clinic between October 1, 2006 and September 30, 2016 was collected. The variables for the analysis were continuation and discontinuation of treatment of those who used the financial support (user) and those who did not (nonuser). The covariates were sex, age, time from onset of the disease to first visit to the clinic, number of hospitalizations in the past, use of psychiatric day care, and use of psychiatric home nursing care. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed using propensity score matching. The observation period was five years from the first visit to the clinic.

RESULTS

Among 1155 patients who were diagnosed with schizophrenia, 718 were excluded, based on the exclusion criteria. The propensity score matching was performed for 437 patients, and the subjects for the final analysis were 278. Average survival period was 1.09 (SD ±1.66) years for nonuser, 3.02 (SD ±1.77) years for users, and users exhibited a significantly longer number of years of outpatient treatments (P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

The results indicated that use of the financial support can contribute to persistence with outpatient treatments.

A prospective study to assess the medication adherence pattern among hypertensives and to evaluate the use of cellular phone text messaging as a tool to improve adherence to medications in a tertiary health-care center

AIM:

The aim of the study was to assess improvement in adherence to medications using mobile phone text messaging (short message services [SMSs] and social media).

OBJECTIVES:

The objective was to assess the pattern of adherence to medication in hypertensives and to assess the improvement in adherence pattern to antihypertensive medications using mobile phone text messaging as a tool.

METHODOLOGY:

After obtaining informed consent, the study participants' blood pressure was recorded, and their adherence to medications was graded as high, medium, and low using the Medication Adherence Questionnaire. Then, messages in the form of either SMSs or WhatsApp were sent regularly (once every 3 days) reminding them of the importance of regular medicine intake. After 2 months of follow-up, again blood pressure was recorded and adherence graded. Data were tabulated and statistically analyzed.

RESULTS:

Majority of study participants in who were initially placed in medium to low grading of adherence (65.2%) moved toward high adherence (88.4%) at follow-up after receiving messages for 2 months. A statistically significant decrease was noted in systolic (8.3 mmHg, P < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (2.4 mmHg, P < 0.002) at the end of follow-up.

CONCLUSION:

Nonadherence to medication is a global phenomenon to be tackled at the earliest. Our study clearly brings out the importance of improving adherence by regular reminders as messages. Hence, there is a wide scope to avail means to improve the adherence pattern and maximize the health benefits.

Nonadherence in bipolar disorder patients: A 14-year retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Bipolar disorder is a disabling psychiatric disorder. The existing literature suggests about 41% of patients to be nonadherent. Nonadherence leads to relapses, delay in recovery besides higher inpatient care cost as well as higher global cost of the disease. Nonadherence in bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) is a complex phenomenon, its critical determinants are yet to be identified with certainty.

AIMS

This study aims to assess the prevalence of nonadherence in BPAD and to delineate the factors associated with it.

METHODS

Medical records were reviewed in this study from 2005 to 2019 at a medical college in Kerala. Patients who were diagnosed with BPAD according to International Classification of Diseases 10 and who were needing or opting for prophylaxis were included. Patients who were not taking medications for at least 1 week were termed as nonadherent. We included 150 participants in our study.

RESULTS

To test the statistical significance of the association of categorical variables between H/O of adherence and nonadherence, Chi-square test was used. In the sample, 82.7% had at least 1 week of history of noncompliance in the past. The most common reason was poor understanding of illness by the family (56%) followed by a negative aspect of the patient toward the drug (20%).

CONCLUSION

Therefore, this study concludes that though majority of the patients have a history of nonadherence of at least 1 week on long-term follow-up, it was seen that majority of the patients were more than 80% adherent to medications.

Mobile Phones as a Medium of Mental Health Care Service Delivery: Perspectives and Barriers among Patients with Severe Mental Illness

BACKGROUND

The use of mobile phone technology to support various components of health care delivery (often referred to as mHealth) is on the rise. Little systematic information, however, is available on user felt needs and barriers to mHealth approaches among people with severe mental illness (SMI). Our objectives were to elicit user needs, preferences, and barriers to using mobile phones for health care service delivery among people with SMI.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out among 75 subjects with SMI between August 2017 and October 2017. All patients had a minimum illness duration of two years or more and a Global Assessment of Functioning score of less than 70. Information on user perspectives was elicited using a 10-item structured questionnaire, to assess mobile phone usage patterns, felt needs, barriers, and preferences, developed for use in patients with SMI.

RESULTS

Majority of the patients reported using mobile phones and were favorably disposed to mHealth approaches. Voice calls (n = 47, 62.7%) were the most preferred mode of service delivery. The most preferred service frequency was twice-weekly (n = 31, 41.3%), followed by once-weekly (n = 22, 29.3%). Majority (n = 47, 62.7%) reported no barriers to mobile phone usage, whereas 14 (18.6%) perceived a lack of necessity of mobile phones as a service delivery medium. Reminders about medication and appointments through mobile phones (n = 35, 46.6%) were the most felt needs, followed by crisis helplines (n = 27, 36.0%) and information about mental health services (n = 22, 29.3%).

CONCLUSION

These findings support the use of mHealth approaches in resource-constrained settings and provide specific inputs to refine the modalities of mHealth service delivery.

Paper spray screening and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry confirmation for medication adherence testing: A two-step process

RATIONALE

Paper spray offers a rapid screening test without the need for sample preparation. The incomplete extraction of paper spray allows for further testing using more robust, selective and sensitive techniques such as liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Here we develop a two-step process of paper spray followed by LC/MS to (1) rapidly screen a large number of samples and (2) confirm any disputed results. This demonstrates the applicability for testing medication adherence from a fingerprint.

METHODS

Following paper spray analysis, drugs of abuse samples were analysed using LC/MS. All analyses were completed using a Q Exactive™ Plus Orbitrap™ mass spectrometer. This two-step procedure was applied to fingerprints collected from patients on a maintained dose of the antipsychotic drug quetiapine.

RESULTS

The extraction efficiency of paper spray for two drugs of abuse and metabolites was found to be between 15 and 35% (analyte dependent). For short acquisition times, the extraction efficiency was found to vary between replicates by less than 30%, enabling subsequent analysis by LC/MS. This two-step process was then applied to fingerprints collected from two patients taking the antipsychotic drug quetiapine, which demonstrates how a negative screening result from paper spray can be resolved using LC/MS.

CONCLUSIONS

We have shown for the first time the sequential analysis of the same sample using paper spray and LC/MS, as well as the detection of an antipsychotic drug from a fingerprint. We propose that this workflow may also be applied to any type of sample compatible with paper spray, and will be especially convenient where only one sample is available for analysis.

Early initiation of long-acting injectable antipsychotic treatment is associated with lower hospitalization rates and healthcare costs in patients with schizophrenia: real-world evidence from US claims data

Objective: Early initiation of antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia is associated with improved outcomes. This study aimed to determine if initiation of long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic treatment early in a new schizophrenia episode is associated with lower hospitalization rates and healthcare costs in a real-world setting. Methods: This retrospective (January 1, 2007-June 30, 2016) cohort analysis used claims from Truven Health Analytics MarketScan Commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare Supplemental databases. In adults ≥18 years with a new episode of schizophrenia, two mutually exclusive cohorts were identified based on time from first recorded schizophrenia diagnosis date to first date of LAI initiation (index date): ≤1 year (early initiators) and >1 year (late initiators). Logistic and general linear regression models were performed to estimate adjusted hospitalization rate and healthcare costs in a 1-year follow-up, controlling patient demographic and clinical characteristics, insurance type, baseline all-cause hospitalizations and ED visits, and baseline psychiatric medication use. Results: Of the subjects, 32% (n = 1388) initiated treatment early and 68% (n = 2978) initiated treatment later. In risk-adjusted models, all-cause hospitalization rates were 22.2% (95% CI = 19.9-24.6%) in early initiators and 26.9% (95% CI = 25.2-28.7%) in late initiators (p = .002). Of early initiators, 14.1% (95% CI = 12.3-16.1%) had a psychiatric hospitalization vs 19.2% (95% CI = 17.7-20.8%) of late initiators (p < .001). Adjusted psychiatric healthcare costs were significantly lower in early initiators compared with late initiators [mean (95% CI) = $21,545 (20,355-22,734) vs $24,132 (23,330-24,933)] (p < .001). Conclusions: LAI initiation within 1 year of a new schizophrenia episode led to lower hospitalization rates and healthcare costs compared with LAI initiation more than 1 year after a new episode.

"A great stress among students" - mental health nurses' views of medication education: A qualitative descriptive study

BACKGROUND

Registered mental health nurses report dissatisfaction with the level of medication knowledge demonstrated by undergraduate nurses. However, little is known about which particular areas staff nurses are concerned about, and how they feel education can be enhanced in both academic and clinical settings.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the views of staff nurses on the delivery of medication education to undergraduate mental health nurses.

DESIGN

A qualitative descriptive design was adopted.

METHODS

Two focus groups were held with registered nurses in two acute mental health facilities. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

The first theme reports on the difficulties staff nurses observed with both undergraduate and newly qualified nurses around medication. It was noted that these individuals had difficulties interpreting medication charts/Kardexes, and were unable to provide medication-related education to service users. The second theme reports on strategies to enhance medication education, as recommended by participants. It was suggested that more practical education should be delivered in academic settings, with a focus on simulation and presentations from clinical staff. In the clinical settings, it was suggested that preceptors should provide education at less busy times on the ward.

CONCLUSIONS

This study gives insight into areas in which education needs to be strengthened, in order to improve the medication knowledge of undergraduate and newly qualified nurses. Further research is needed to develop evidence-based strategies to enhance this education.

Lay health supporters aided by mobile text messaging to improve adherence, symptoms, and functioning among people with schizophrenia in a resource-poor community in rural China (LEAN): A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Schizophrenia is a leading cause of disability, and a shift from facility- to community-based care has been proposed to meet the resource challenges of mental healthcare in low- and middle-income countries. We hypothesized that the addition of mobile texting would improve schizophrenia care in a resource-poor community setting compared with a community-based free-medicine program alone.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

In this 2-arm randomized controlled trial, 278 community-dwelling villagers (patient participants) were randomly selected from people with schizophrenia from 9 townships of Hunan, China, and were randomized 1:1 into 2 groups. The program participants were recruited between May 1, 2015, and August 31, 2015, and the intervention and follow-up took place between December 15, 2015, and July 1, 2016. Baseline characteristics of the 2 groups were similar. The patients were on average 46 years of age, had 7 years of education, had a duration of schizophrenia of 18 years with minimal to mild symptoms and nearly one-fifth loss of functioning, and were mostly living with family (95%) and had low incomes. Both the intervention and the control groups received a nationwide community-based mental health program that provided free antipsychotic medications. The patient participants in the intervention group also received LEAN (Lay health supporters, E-platform, Award, and iNtegration), a program that featured recruitment of a lay health supporter and text messages for medication reminders, health education, monitoring of early signs of relapses, and facilitated linkage to primary healthcare. The primary outcome was medication adherence (proportion of dosages taken) assessed by 2 unannounced home-based pill counts 30 days apart at the 6-month endpoint. The secondary and other outcomes included patient symptoms, functioning, relapses, re-hospitalizations, death for any reason, wandering away without notifying anyone, violence against others, damaging goods, and suicide. Intent-to-treat analysis was used. Missing data were handled with multiple imputations. In total, 271 out of 278 patient participants were successfully followed up for outcome assessment. Medication adherence was 0.48 in the control group and 0.61 in the intervention group (adjusted mean difference [AMD] 0.12 [95% CI 0.03 to 0.22]; p = 0.013; effect size 0.38). Among secondary and other outcomes we noted substantial reduction in the risk of relapse (26 [21.7%] of 120 interventional participants versus 40 [34.2%] of 117 controls; relative risk 0.63 [95% CI 0.42 to 0.97]; number needed to treat [NNT] 8.0) and re-hospitalization (9 [7.3%] of 123 interventional participants versus 25 [20.5%] of 122 controls; relative risk 0.36 [95% CI 0.17 to 0.73]; NNT 7.6). The program showed no statistical difference in all other outcomes. During the course of the program, 2 participants in the intervention group and 1 in the control group died. The limitations of the study include its lack of a full economic analysis, lack of individual tailoring of the text messages, the relatively short 6-month follow-up, and the generalizability constraint of the Chinese context.

CONCLUSIONS

The addition of texting to patients and their lay health supporters in a resource-poor community setting was more effective than a free-medicine program alone in improving medication adherence and reducing relapses and re-hospitalizations. Future studies may test the effectiveness of customization of the texting to individual patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR-ICR-15006053.

Evaluating digital medicine ingestion data from seriously mentally ill patients with a Bayesian Hybrid Model

The objective of this work was to adapt and evaluate the performance of a Bayesian hybrid model to characterize objective temporal medication ingestion parameters from two clinical studies in patients with serious mental illness (SMI) receiving treatment with a digital medicine system. This system provides a signal from an ingested sensor contained in the dosage form to a patient-worn patch and transmits this signal via the patient’s mobile device. A previously developed hybrid Markov-von Mises model was used to obtain maximum-likelihood estimates for medication ingestion behavior parameters for individual patients. The individual parameter estimates were modeled to obtain distribution parameters of priors implemented in a Markov chain-Monte Carlo framework. Clinical and demographic covariates associated with model ingestion parameters were also assessed. We obtained individual estimates of overall observed ingestion percent (median:75.9%, range:18.2–98.3%, IQR:32.9%), rate of excess dosing events (median:0%, range:0–14.3%, IQR:3.0%) and observed ingestion duration. The modeling also provided estimates of the Markov-dependence probabilities of dosing success following a dosing success or failure. The ingestion-timing deviations were modeled with the von Mises distribution. A subset of 17 patients (22.1%) were identified as prompt correctors based on Markov-dependence probability of a dosing failure followed by a dosing success of unity. The prompt corrector sub-group had a better overall digital medicine ingestion parameter profile compared to those who were not prompt correctors. Our results demonstrate the potential utility of a Bayesian Hybrid Markov-von Mises model for characterizing digital medicine ingestion patterns in patients with SMI.

Effectiveness of financial incentives for long-acting injectable antipsychotic adherence in patients with psychotic and bipolar disorders: a systematic review protocol

REVIEW QUESTION

The question of this review is: what is the effectiveness of financial compensation for receiving a dose of long-acting injectable antipsychotic medication on the rate of medication adherence in adult patients with psychotic and bipolar disorders in an outpatient/community setting?

Application and Effectiveness of Telehealth to Support Severe Mental Illness Management: Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

People with severe mental illness (SMI) must receive early interventions to prevent mental health deterioration or relapse. Telecommunications and other technologies are increasingly being used to assist in health care delivery using "telehealth," which includes telephones and mobile phones, computers, remote sensors, the internet, and other devices, to provide immediate real-time information to service users to improve the management of chronic health conditions. Some initial findings have suggested that technology could improve the quality of life of people with SMI.

OBJECTIVE

In this systematic review, we aimed to identify the various uses and efficacy of telehealth technology for SMI.

METHODS

We systematically searched electronic databases from inception to March 2016 (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Health Technology Assessment, CINAHL Plus, and NHS Economic Evaluations Database) to identify randomized controlled trials evaluating telehealth for adults with SMI published in English. Additional literature was identified through searching reference lists of key articles. The articles meeting the inclusion criteria were systematically reviewed and assessed for quality and risk of bias.

RESULTS

Our search identified 31 articles describing 29 trials as eligible for the review. The included studies evaluated the use of computers to deliver cognitive rehabilitation (15 trials), patient education (3 trials), and Web-based self-management interventions (2 trials) and to support consultations (1 trial). Virtual reality was used to simulate work and social situations (2 trials) and to deliver cognitive training (1 trial). Telephones were used to prompt service users to take medications (3 trials) and to report symptoms to their health care team (1 trial). Remote sensors were used to monitor medication use (1 trial). Telephone support was found effective in improving medication adherence and reducing the severity of symptoms and inpatient days. Computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation was effective in improving cognitive function. The impact of telehealth on other outcomes was inconsistent. The results of this review should be taken in the context of varied quality in study design, with only 5 studies demonstrating a low risk of bias.

CONCLUSIONS

A growing variety of telehealth technologies are being used to support the management of SMI. Specific technology types have been found to be effective for some outcomes (eg, telephone and remote medication monitoring for adherence to treatment), while other types of telehealth technologies (eg, delivery of patient education using computers) had no benefit over traditional nurse-based methods and were less acceptable to patients. Further research is warranted to establish the full potential benefits of telehealth for improving the quality of life in people with SMI, acceptability from the service user perspective, and cost-effectiveness. The findings of this review are limited by the poor quality of many of the studies reviewed.

Medication Adherence and Discontinuation of Aripiprazole Once-Monthly 400 mg (AOM 400) Versus Oral Antipsychotics in Patients with Schizophrenia or Bipolar I Disorder: A Real-World Study Using US Claims Data

Introduction

Few studies have compared adherence between long-acting injectable antipsychotics, especially for newer agents like aripiprazole once-monthly 400 mg (AOM 400; aripiprazole monohydrate) and oral antipsychotics, in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder (BD-I) in a real-world setting.

Methods

Two separate retrospective cohort analyses using Truven MarketScan data from January 1, 2012 to June 30, 2016 were conducted to compare medication adherence and discontinuation in patients with schizophrenia or BD-I who initiated treatment with AOM 400 vs. patients changed from one oral antipsychotic monotherapy to another. Adherence was defined as proportion of days covered (PDC) ≥ 0.80 in the year following the index date. Linear regression models examined the association between AOM 400 and oral antipsychotic cohorts and medication adherence. Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox regression estimated time to and risk of discontinuation, while adjusting for baseline covariates. A sensitivity analysis was conducted using a combination of propensity score matching and exact matching to create matched cohorts.

Results

Final cohort sizes were as follows—Schizophrenia: AOM 400 n = 408, oral antipsychotic n = 3361; BD-I: AOM 400 n = 413, oral antipsychotic n = 15,534. In patients with schizophrenia, adjusted mean PDC was higher in patients in the AOM 400 cohort vs. the oral antipsychotic cohort (0.57 vs. 0.48 P < 0.001), and patients in the oral antipsychotic cohort had a higher risk of discontinuing treatment vs. the AOM 400 cohort (HR 1.45, 95% CI 1.29–1.64). For patients with BD-I, adjusted mean PDC was higher for the AOM 400 cohort (0.59 vs. 0.44, P < 0.001), and patients in the oral antipsychotic cohort had a higher risk of discontinuation (HR 1.71, 95% CI 1.53–1.92).

Conclusions

In a real-word setting, AOM 400 resulted in a significantly higher percentage of patients with a PDC ≥ 0.80 and significantly longer time to treatment discontinuation compared to patients with schizophrenia or BD-I who received treatment with an oral antipsychotic.

Funding

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization, Inc. and Lundbeck.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s12325-018-0785-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A Cross-sectional Analysis of Patterns and Predictors of Medication Adherence in Bipolar Disorder: Single Center Experience from South India

Objective

Our objective was to determine patterns and predictors of medication adherence in bipolar disorder.

Methods

Between August 2015 and December 2016, we recruited 160 patients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder as per International Classification of Diseases-10: Clinical Descriptions and Diagnostic Guidelines. The diagnosis was further confirmed by using the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Inventory. All of them were currently in remission (confirmed by standard measures) and on stable dosing of medication for at least a year. Medication adherence was assessed using Tamil validated version of Morisky Medication Adherence Scale. Patients were dichotomized into low adherence (<6) and high adherence (≥6) groups and compared on various socio-demographic and clinical variables.

Results

Majority of the sample (n=97, 60.6%) demonstrated low adherence to treatment regimen. Being employed and having spent greater number of days in hospital were predictive of higher medication adherence (odds ratio [OR] 2.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.019-7.585; and OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.003-1.037, respectively). Fewer number of lifetime depressive episodes and positive drug attitudes demonstrated trend level positive association with high medication adherence.

Conclusion

Non-adherence to prescribed medications is a common problem in bipolar disorder. Interventions targeting vocation, medication focused psychoeducation and promotion of positive drug attitudes are likely to enhance medication adherence in this group.

Hospital admissions associated with medication non-adherence: a systematic review of prospective observational studies

Background

Medication non-adherence in ambulatory care has received substantial attention in the literature, but less so as it affects acute care. Accordingly, we aimed to estimate the frequency with which non-adherence to medication contributes to hospital admissions.

Methods

We searched the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts and PubMed (until December 2017) to identify prospective observational studies that examined prevalence rates of hospital admissions associated with medication non-adherence. A quality assessment was performed using an expanded Crombie checklist. Data extraction covered patterns, circumstances, and patient and other key characteristics of non-adherence. Pooled estimates were obtained using a random-effect model.

Results

Of 24 included studies, 8 were undertaken in North America, 7 from Europe, 6 from Asia and 3 from Australia. Most studies (79%) were rated as low risk of bias. All but three studies used combination measures to detect non-adherence, but approaches to assess preventability varied considerably. Across the studies, there was high heterogeneity among prevalence estimates (χ2=548, df 23, p<0.001, I2=95.8%). The median prevalence rate of hospital admissions associated with non-adherence was 4.29% (IQR 3.22%–7.49%), with prevalence rates ranging from 0.72% to 10.79%. By definition, almost all of these admissions were considered preventable. The underlying causes contributing to these admissions included medication cost and side effects, and non-adherence most often involved cardiovascular medicines.

Conclusions

Hospital admissions associated with non-adherence to medication are a common problem. This systematic review highlights important targets for intervention. Greater attention could be focused on adherence to medication during the hospital stay as part of an enhanced medication reconciliation process. Standardisation in study methods and definitions is needed to allow future comparisons among settings; future studies should also encompass emerging economies.

Medication adherence and discontinuation of long-acting injectable versus oral antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder

AIMS

To examine medication adherence and discontinuation in two separate groups of patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (BD), who began receiving a long-acting injectable antipsychotic (LAI) versus those who changed to a different oral antipsychotic monotherapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Truven Health Analytics MarketScan Multi-State Medicaid claims database was used to identify patients with schizophrenia; Truven Health Analytics MarketScan Commercial and Medicaid claims databases were used to identify patients with BD. The analyses included adult patients (≥18 years) who either began receiving an LAI (no prior LAI therapy) or changed to a different oral antipsychotic (monotherapy). The first day of initiating an LAI or changing to a new oral antipsychotic was the index date. Linear and Cox regression models were conducted to estimate medication adherence (proportion of days covered [PDC]) and time to medication discontinuation (continuous medication gap ≥60 days), respectively. Models adjusted for patient demographic and clinical characteristics, baseline medication use, and baseline ED or hospitalizations.

RESULTS

Patients with schizophrenia (N = 5638) who began receiving LAIs had better medication adherence (5% higher adjusted mean adherence) during the 1 year post-index period and were 20% less likely to discontinue their medication during the entire follow-up period than patients who changed to a different oral antipsychotic monotherapy, adjusting for differences between LAI users and oral users. Similarly, patients with BD (N = 11,344) who began receiving LAIs also had 5% better medication adherence and were 19% less likely to discontinue their medication than those using oral antipsychotics.

LIMITATIONS

Clinical differences unmeasurable in this database may have been responsible for the choice of LAI versus oral antipsychotics, and these differences may be responsible for some of the adherence advantages observed.

CONCLUSIONS

This real-world study suggests that patients with schizophrenia or BD who began receiving LAIs had better medication adherence and lower discontinuation risk than those who changed to a different oral antipsychotic monotherapy.

Does Diagnosis Make a Difference? Estimating the Impact of an HIV Medication Adherence Intervention for Persons with Serious Mental Illness

The heightened risk of persons with serious mental illness to contract and transmit human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a public health problem. Here we evaluate the interaction between psychiatric diagnosis and response to a community based-intervention targeted at treatment adherence in 236 HIV+ persons with co-occurring mental illness. To examine differential effectiveness of the intervention for categories of patient diagnosis, we reanalyzed the data after stratifying participants into two diagnostic groups: (1) participants with depressive disorders without psychosis and (2) participants with a psychotic or bipolar disorder. Outcomes included viral load and mental health quality of life (SF-12 Mental Health). We found that HIV+ persons with non-psychotic depressive disorders demonstrated a larger decrease in HIV viral load and more improvement in measures of mental health quality of life when compared to HIV+ persons with psychotic and bipolar disorders. We suggest that successful adherence interventions should be informed by psychiatric symptomatology.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov 29 identifier NCT00264823.

Project K: Training for hospital-community safe transition

ABSTRACT Objective: To define the safe transition process from hospital to community of patients with chronic mental disorders and their families. Method: This was an action research study included in the constructivist paradigm. The participants in the study were nurses from a psychiatry service and from primary healthcare services. Results: After the identification of causes of continuity fragmentation, the following items emerged from the participants’ speeches: a) two criteria categories for safe transition (those associated with health status, dependence level, and self-care capacity of patients, and those associated with knowledge and competence level of informal caregivers); b) the design of an algorithm to facilitate clinical decision-making. Final considerations: In order to promote adherence to therapeutic treatment in the hospital-community transition, treatment plans must include patients and their families, and improve communication networks and support among care levels.

Integrative Review of Mobile Phone Contacts and Medication Adherence in Severe Mental Illness

BACKGROUND

Poor medication adherence is a significant problem in individuals with severe mental illness (SMI). About 50% of people with SMI become nonadherent to treatment in the first month following discharge from the hospital.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined literature in the past decade (2006-2016) on the use of mobile phone contacts in individuals with SMI to improve medication adherence post hospital discharge.

DESIGN

This integrative review used the search terms texting, text messaging, SMS, cell/mobile phone, medication adherence, medication compliance, and mental illness. Databases (CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus) and manual searching of reference lists were done. The main inclusion criteria were the use of mobile phone contacts on medication adherence in individuals with SMI. Adults 18 years and older, studies conducted from 2006 to 2016, and studies conducted in English were also criteria for inclusion. Only five studies met criteria for inclusion.

RESULTS

Outcomes from the review showed that mobile phone contacts have been used to improve medication adherence in individuals with SMI and able to provide the four types of social support (instrumental, informational, emotional, and, appraisal). When phone contacts especially text messaging was used as an adjunct to other interventions, it yielded better medication adherence than when used alone. However, results on medication adherence rates were mixed in participants on both psychiatric and nonpsychiatric medications.

CONCLUSION

Although mobile phone contacts are a promising tool to enhance medication adherence after hospital discharge, its effectiveness to increase medication adherence in this population remains inconclusive.

Are people with schizophrenia adherent to diabetes medication? A comparative meta-analysis

Individuals living with schizophrenia are 2-3 times more likely to experience type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetes medication adherence is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality in this population. We conducted a meta-analysis of diabetes medication adherence among people with schizophrenia, and compared this to those without schizophrenia. A systematic search strategy was used to identify all articles reporting adherence to diabetes medications among patients with schizophrenia. In total, 10 unique studies reporting data from 33,910 people with schizophrenia were included. Random effects meta-analysis showed people with schizophrenia adhered to medication on 77.3% of days prescribed (n=32080, 95%CI=73.6-81%, I²=99.2%,), and adhered on 4.6% more days per year than those without schizophrenia (p<0.01, 95%CI=2.4-6.7%, I²=92.5%, schizophrenia n=19367, controls=170,853). Furthermore, 56% of individuals with schizophrenia (n=33680) were considered "adherent" (i.e. >80% adherence over 12-24 month) to diabetes medication, which was significantly more than those without schizophrenia (OR=1.34, 95%CI: 1.18-1.52, p<0.01). Factors which were positively associated with diabetes medication adherence were age, number of outpatient visits, along with multiple medication administration variables. Future prospective research should examine diabetes monitoring, medication prescription, and subsequent adherence in fully representative samples. Novel interventions for maximizing compliance to diabetes medication in this vulnerable population should also be explored.