Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Measures for Patients Discharged from Acute Psychiatric Care: Four-Arm Peer and Text Messaging Support Controlled Observational Study

Reham Shalaby, Pamela Spurvey, Michelle Knox, Rebecca Rathwell, Wesley Vuong, Shireen Surood, Liana Urichuk, Mark Snaterse, Andrew J. Greenshaw, Xin-Min Li and Vincent I. O. Agyapong
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Reham Shalaby: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2B7, Canada
Pamela Spurvey: Alberta Health Services Addiction and Mental Health, Edmonton, AB T5J 3E4, Canada
Michelle Knox: Alberta Health Services Addiction and Mental Health, Edmonton, AB T5J 3E4, Canada
Rebecca Rathwell: Alberta Health Services Addiction and Mental Health, Edmonton, AB T5J 3E4, Canada
Wesley Vuong: Alberta Health Services Addiction and Mental Health, Edmonton, AB T5J 3E4, Canada
Shireen Surood: Alberta Health Services Addiction and Mental Health, Edmonton, AB T5J 3E4, Canada
Liana Urichuk: Alberta Health Services Addiction and Mental Health, Edmonton, AB T5J 3E4, Canada
Mark Snaterse: Alberta Health Services Addiction and Mental Health, Edmonton, AB T5J 3E4, Canada
Andrew J. Greenshaw: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2B7, Canada
Xin-Min Li: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2B7, Canada
Vincent I. O. Agyapong: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2B7, Canada

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: Background: Peer support workers (PSW) and text messaging services (TxM) are supportive health services that are frequently examined in the field of mental health. Both interventions have positive outcomes, with TxM demonstrating clinical and economic effectiveness and PSW showing its utility within the recovery-oriented model. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of PSW and TxM in reducing psychological distress of recently discharged patients receiving psychiatric care. Methods: This is a prospective, rater-blinded, pilot-controlled observational study consisting of 181 patients discharged from acute psychiatric care. Patients were randomized into one of four conditions: daily supportive text messages only, peer support only, peer support plus daily text messages, or treatment as usual. Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation—Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), a standardized measure of mental distress, was administered at four time points: baseline, six weeks, three months, and six months. MANCOVA was used to assess the impact of the interventions on participants’ scores on four CORE-OM subscales across the three follow-up time points. Recovery, clinical change, and reliable change in CORE-OM all-item analysis were examined across the four groups, and the prevalence of risk symptoms was measured. Results: A total of 63 patients completed assessments at each time point. The interaction between PSW and TxM was predictive of differences in scores on the CORE-OM functioning subscale with a medium effect size ( F 1,63 = 4.19; p = 0.045; ηp 2 = 0.07). The PSW + TxM group consistently achieved higher rates of recovery and clinical and reliable improvement compared to the other study groups. Additionally, the text message group and the PSW + TxM group significantly reduced the prevalence of risk of self/other harm symptoms after six months of intervention, with 27.59% (χ 2 (1) = 4.42, p = 0.04) and 50% (χ 2 (1) = 9.03, p < 0.01) prevalence reduction, respectively. Conclusions: The combination of peer support and supportive text messaging is an impactful intervention with positive clinical outcomes for acute care patients. Adding the two interventions into routine psychiatric care for patients after discharge is highly recommended.

Keywords: CORE-OM; peer support worker; text messages; support; distress; hospital discharge; mental health; acute care (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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