Measuring participation in an evidence-based practice: illness management and recovery group attendance

A systematic review of influences on implementation of supported self-management interventions for people with severe mental health problems in secondary mental health care settings

PURPOSE

There is robust evidence for offering supported self-management interventions for people with severe mental illness (SMI) throughout secondary mental health services, but their availability remains patchy. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesise the evidence on barriers and facilitators to implementing self-management interventions for people with SMI in secondary mental health care settings.

METHODS

The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021257078). Five databases were searched to identify relevant studies. We included full-text journal articles with primary qualitative or quantitative data on factors which affect the implementation of self-management interventions for people with SMI in secondary mental health services. The included studies were analysed using narrative synthesis, using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and an established taxonomy of implementation outcomes.

RESULTS

Twenty-three studies from five countries met eligibility criteria. The barriers and facilitators identified in the review were mainly on the organisational level, but included some individual-level influences. Facilitators included high feasibility, high fidelity, a strong team structure, sufficient number of staff, support from colleagues, staff training, supervision, the presence of an implementation champion and adaptability of the intervention. Barriers to implementation include high staff turnover, staff shortage, lack of supervision, lack of support for staff delivering the programme, staff struggling with their increased workload, a lack of senior clinical leadership, and programme content perceived as irrelevant.

CONCLUSION

The findings from this research suggest promising strategies to improve implementation of self-management interventions. For services providing support for people with SMI, organisational culture should be considered, as well as the adaptability of interventions.

Effectiveness of a Disability Preventive Intervention for Minority and Immigrant Elders: The Positive Minds-Strong Bodies Randomized Clinical Trial

OBJECTIVE

To test the acceptability and effectiveness of a disability prevention intervention, Positive Minds-Strong Bodies (PMSB), offered by paraprofessionals to mostly immigrant elders in four languages.

DESIGN

Randomized trial of 307 participants, equally randomized into intervention or enhanced usual care.

SETTING

Community-based organizations in Massachusetts, New York, Florida, and Puerto Rico serving minority elders. Data collected at baseline, 2, 6, and 12 months, between May 2015 and March 2019.

PARTICIPANTS

English-, Spanish-, Mandarin-, or Cantonese-speaking adults, age 60+, not seeking disability prevention services, but eligible per elevated mood symptoms and minor to moderate physical dysfunction.

INTERVENTIONS

Ten individual sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (PM) concurrently offered with 36 group sessions of strengthening exercise training (SB) over 6 months compared to enhanced usual care.

MEASUREMENTS

Acceptability defined as satisfaction and attendance to >50% of sessions. Effectiveness determined by changes in mood symptoms (HSCL-25 and GAD-7), functional performance (SPPB), self-reported disability (LLFDI), and disability days (WHODAS 2.0).

RESULTS

Around 77.6% of intervention participants attended over half of PM Sessions; 53.4% attended over half of SB sessions. Intent-to-treat analyses at 6 months showed significant intervention effects: improved functioning per SPPB and LLFDI, and lowered mood symptoms per HSCL-25. Intent-to-treat analyses at 12 months showed that effects remained significant for LLFDI and HSCL-25, and disability days (per WHODAS 2.0) significantly decreased 6-month after the intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

PMSB offered by paraprofessionals in community-based organizations demonstrates good acceptability and seems to improve functioning, with a compliance-benefit effect showing compliance as an important determinant of the intervention response.

Defining disengagement from mental health services for individuals experiencing first episode psychosis: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Individuals affected by psychotic disorders frequently disengage from mental health services, although reports of this rate in the literature have ranged from 6 to 60%. One of the potential explanations for the large variation is that studies have adopted different definitions. Without a universal definition it is challenging to compare rates and factors leading to disengagement across studies. This systematic review aims to identify and compare how disengagement from psychosis services has been defined, measured and operationalised in the literature to date.

METHODS

A systemic literature search of the PubMed, PsycINFO and CINAHL databases was completed following the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews.

RESULTS

1506 Studies were identified, of which 30 were eligible to be included. It was found that disengagement was operationalized as either a categorical or continuous variable across studies, with 18 studies classifying it as a categorical, binary variable. Only four studies applied a time period over which disengagement was said to occur, and only four studies used an instrument to measure or predict disengagement. Few studies considered similar factors in their definition, when this occurred it was because the papers came from the same research group.

DISCUSSION

To truly understand the phenomenon of disengagement, studies need to have a comparable outcome variable. The need for consensus on a gold standard definition of disengagement that considers the full breadth of its complexity remains. A potential process for establishing a definition that includes set parameters, agreed upon terminology and time periods of assessment is discussed.

E-IMR: e-health added to face-to-face delivery of Illness Management & Recovery programme for people with severe mental illness, an exploratory clustered randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

E-mental health holds promise for people with severe mental illness, but has a limited evidence base. This study explored the effect of e-health added to face-to-face delivery of the Illness Management and Recovery Programme (e-IMR).

METHOD

In this multi-centre exploratory cluster randomized controlled trial, seven clusters (n = 60; 41 in intervention group and 19 in control group) were randomly assigned to e-IMR + IMR or IMR only. Outcomes of illness management, self-management, recovery, symptoms, quality of life, and general health were measured at baseline (T₀), halfway (T₁), and at twelve months (T₂). The data were analysed using mixed model for repeated measurements in four models: in 1) we included fixed main effects for time trend and group, in 2) we controlled for confounding effects, in 3) we controlled for interaction effects, and in 4) we performed sub-group analyses within the intervention group.

RESULTS

Notwithstanding low activity on e-IMR, significant effects were present in model 1 analyses for self-management (p = .01) and recovery (p = .02) at T₁, and for general health perception (p = .02) at T₂, all in favour of the intervention group. In model 2, the confounding covariate gender explained the effects at T₁ and T₂, except for self-management. In model 3, the interacting covariate non-completer explained the effects for self-management (p = .03) at T₁. In model 4, the sub-group analyses of e-IMR-users versus non-users showed no differences in effect.

CONCLUSION

Because of confounding and interaction modifications, effectiveness of e-IMR cannot be concluded. Low use of e-health precludes definite conclusions on its potential efficacy. Low use of e-IMR calls for a thorough process evaluation of the intervention.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The Dutch Trial Register ( NTR4772 ).

BEATVIC, a body-oriented resilience therapy using kickboxing exercises for people with a psychotic disorder: a feasibility study

BACKGROUND

People with a psychotic disorder have an increased risk of becoming the victim of a crime. To prevent victimization a body-oriented resilience therapy using kickboxing exercises was developed. This study aims to explore the feasibility of the therapy, to improve the therapy protocol and to explore suitable outcomes for a RCT.

METHODS

Twenty-four adults with a psychotic disorder received 20 weekly group sessions in which potential risk factors for victimization and strategies for dealing with them were addressed. Sessions were evaluated weekly. During pre and post assessment participants completed questionnaires on, among other, victimization, aggression regulation and social functioning.

RESULTS

The short recruitment period indicates the interest in such an intervention and the willingness of clients to participate. Mean attendance was 85.3 and 88% of the participants completed fifteen or more sessions. The therapy protocol was assessed as adequate and exercises as relevant with some small improvements to be made. The victimization and aggression regulation questionnaires were found to be suitable outcome measurements for a subsequent RCT.

CONCLUSION

The results support the feasibility of the BEATVIC therapy. Participants subjectively evaluated the intervention as helpful in their attempt to gain more self-esteem and assertiveness. With some minor changes in the protocol the effects of BEATVIC can be tested in a RCT.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The trial registration number (TRN) is 35949 (date submitted 09/11/2018). Retrospectively registered.

Participation in Two Evidence-Based Falls Prevention Programs by Adults Aging With a Long-Term Disability: Case-Control Study of Reach and Effectiveness

Objective: Adults aging with a long-term disability (LTD) are at an increased risk for falls. The Older Americans Act Title III-D and Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF) support several organizations to deliver falls prevention evidence-based programs designed to reduce risk factors; however, little is understood about the reach and effectiveness of these fall prevention programs for those with LTD compared to those without LTD. This study compared the reach and effectiveness of two evidence-based falls prevention programs between older adults with and without LTD. Method: Using a matched case-control design, 105 LTD older adults enrolled in A Matter of Balance (AMOB) or Stepping On were matched to 315 non-LTD older adults on age, sex, race, and education. Results: On average, LTD older adults attended a higher number of class sessions and were significantly more likely to complete the program compared with the matched-sample of non-LTD older adults. LTD older adults were equally likely as non-LTD older adults to report significant reductions in self-reported fear of falling, falls-related activity restriction, and improvement in falls self-efficacy following completion of the programs. Discussion: These findings provide preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of these evidence-based falls prevention programs for LTD older adults; however, more research is needed to extend these findings.

Illness management and recovery: Clinical outcomes of a randomized clinical trial in community mental health centers

OBJECTIVE

Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) is a psychosocial intervention with a recovery-oriented approach. The program has been evaluated in different settings; however evidence for the effects of IMR is still deficient. The aim of this trial was to investigate the benefits and harms of the IMR program compared with treatment as usual in Danish patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

METHOD

The trial was designed as a randomized, assessor-blinded, multi-center, clinical trial investigating the IMR program compared with usual treatment. 198 people diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder participated. The primary outcome was the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF-F) at the end of intervention and the secondary and explorative outcomes included severity of symptoms and service utilization.

RESULTS

IMR had no significant effect on functioning, symptoms, substance use or service utilization.

CONCLUSION

This randomized trial contributes to the evidence base of IMR by providing a methodological solid base for its conclusions; however the trial has some important limitations. More research is needed to get a firm answer on the effectiveness of the IMR.

Early Therapeutic Alliance, Treatment Retention, and 12-Month Outcomes in a Healthy Lifestyles Intervention for People with Psychotic Disorders

Engaging and retaining individuals with psychotic disorders in psychosocial treatments is difficult. Early therapeutic alliance, treatment retention, and 12-month outcomes were examined in a subsample of smokers with a psychotic disorder (N = 178) participating in a healthy lifestyles study comparing a telephone versus face-to-face delivered intervention. Therapeutic alliance was assessed using the Agnew Relationship Measure; primary outcomes were treatment retention and changes in symptoms and health behaviors. Contrary to expectations, early alliance did not predict treatment retention. However, elements of both client- and therapist-rated alliance predicted some clinical outcomes (e.g., higher confidence in the therapeutic alliance at session 1 predicted improvements in 12-month depression). Some modest interactions between early alliance and intervention condition were also identified (e.g., clients initially with lower self-perceived initiative, or higher therapist-perceived bonding benefited preferentially from the telephone-delivered intervention), highlighting the need to further examine the interplay between therapeutic alliance and treatment modality.

Providers' perspectives of factors influencing implementation of evidence-based treatments in a community mental health setting: A qualitative investigation of the training-practice gap

This study aims to elucidate relations between provider perceptions of aspects of the consolidated framework for implementation research (Damschroder et al., 2009) and provider attitudes toward the implementation of evidence-based treatments (EBTs) in an ethnically diverse community health setting. Guided by directed content analysis, we analyzed 28 semistructured interviews that were conducted with providers during the pre-implementation phase of a larger implementation study for cognitive processing therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (Resick et al., 2008). Our findings extend the existing literature by also presenting provider-identified client-level factors that contribute to providers' positive and negative attitudes toward EBTs. Provider-identified client-level factors include the following: client motivation to engage in treatment, client openness to EBTs, support networks of family and friends, client use of community and government resources, the connection and relationship with their therapist, client treatment adherence, client immediate needs or crises, low literacy or illiteracy, low levels of education, client cognitive limitations, and misconceptions about therapy. These results highlight the relations between provider perceptions of their clients, provider engagement in EBT training, and subsequent adoption of EBTs. We present suggestions for future implementation research in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record

Life after being diagnosed with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES): a South African perspective

PURPOSE

The aim of the study was to explore the life experiences of South Africans who have been diagnosed as having PNES, with a focus on the aspects of the challenges which these individuals face, as well as the resources and coping strategies which are either made available to them or used by them in order to cope with PNES.

METHODS

Ten semi-structured interviews were analysed by means of thematic analysis in order to explore themes around challenges and resources for those diagnosed with PNES.

RESULTS

Various challenges were revealed by participants, as well as the resources used in order to deal with these challenges associated with being diagnosed with PNES. Some of the challenges included unexpected seizures, medical professionals, belief systems as well as family. However, resources to counteract these challenges were social support, medical professional as well as religion and spirituality.

CONCLUSION

Although many challenges are encountered by those who are diagnosed with PNES, there are substantial resources from which these individuals draw in order to live fulfilling and satisfactory lives. As more information and research is accumulated, more resources may become available to benefit these individuals and allow them to recover from PNES. It should be noted that medical professionals were described as both a challenge as well as a resource for people with PNES. Therefore, we can conclude that these individuals are key in the experiences of those who have been diagnosed with PNES, and that they play a role on not only a diagnostic level, but also in providing support, information, as well as therapeutic benefits.