Bipolar Disorder, Major Depression, Schizophrenia
Conditions
Keywords
mHealth, psychiatric hospitalization, transitions of care
Brief summary
The overall aim of this program of research is to improve the continuity of care for patients with serious mental illness (SMI) by supporting a safer and more efficient bridge from hospital to outpatient care using a mobile device-delivered app called Transition-FOCUS (tFOCUS), which has previously been tested in community samples. The purpose of the proposed project is to establish the effectiveness of our empirically-supported, multi-component mHealth intervention.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALTransition-FOCUS mHealth Intervention
tFOCUS integrates evidence-based strategies for self-management of severe mental illness (SMI) into a comprehensive mobile assessment and treatment system that is grounded in theoretical SMI models. The application promotes self-management strategies aimed at improving medication adherence to manage biologically driven psychiatric symptoms, increase social support to reduce the negative impact of social withdrawal, improve sleep hygiene to reduce levels of fatigue, and promote strategies for coping with persistent symptoms. tFOCUS application strategies are linked to participants' specific assessment responses, allowing for a highly personalized self-management intervention experience
BEHAVIORALCheck-In
Check-in includes a discharge and safety plan (with medication instructions, crisis services, etc.), a timely follow-up appointment with a mental health provider, and phone check-ins by case managers immediately following post-discharge for care coordination purposes.
Sponsors
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Brown University
Butler Hospital
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* psychiatric inpatient/partial hospitalization * diagnosis of schizophrenia-spectrum disorder or major mood disorder * planned ongoing mental health treatment post-discharge in the community * 18 years or older * ability to speak and read English
Exclusion criteria
* lack of smartphone * homelessness or housing instability that would prevent reliable follow-up * discharge to a long-term restricted living setting
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) | 24 weeks | The interviewer-rated Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale is a measure of psychiatric symptom severity. The total score (sum of items) will be used to assess overall severity with scores ranging from 18 to 126 and higher scores indicating greater severity. |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS) | 24 weeks | The RAS is a self-report measure of aspects of mental health recovery, including hope and self-determination. The total score (sum of items) will be used and ranges from 22 to 110 with higher scores indicating higher suicidal thoughts and behaviors. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed