Effectiveness of a transitional care program for persons with Schizophrenia

• Main Authors: Sarakan K., Thapinta D., Panuthai S., Kennedy M.
• Format: Article
• Published: Chiang Mai University 2015
• Subjects: Multidisciplinary
• Online Access: http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=84872234768&origin=inward; http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/handle/6653943832/38155
• Institution: Chiang Mai University

A randomized control trial (RCT) design was conducted to test the effectiveness of a transitional care program for persons with schizophrenia. A sample of 80 persons with schizophrenia living in Ubon Ratchathani was recruited and randomly assigned to either an experimental (41) or control group (39). The experimental group received a transitional care program developed by the researcher, whereas the control group received the usual care. Data were collected at the 8th and 12th week after the intervention by using the Medication Compliance Inventory (MCI), the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS), the Thai World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale-Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF-THAI) and readmission records. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and repeated measure analysis of variance. The study results showed no significant difference in medication adherence and psychotic symptoms at the 8th and 12th week after intervention between experimental and control groups. For the quality of life, there was a significant difference over time between the experimental and control groups (p<0.05). There were no readmissions for either group at the 8th week but the number of readmissions of the control group was higher than that of the experimental group at the 12th week. Although significant differences of medication adherence and psychotic symptoms were not found, significant differences between the experimental and control treatment options did exist for the quality of life. To confirm the intervention effects and generalizability to persons with schizophrenia for transitioning from hospital to home, this research should be repeated with a larger sample size and longer-term follow-up.