TY - JOUR

T1 - Improved patient-reported outcomes after interprofessional training in mental health

T2 - a nonrandomized intervention study

AU - Marcussen, Michael

AU - Nørgaard, Birgitte

AU - Borgnakke, Karen

AU - Arnfred, Sidse

PY - 2020/5/14

Y1 - 2020/5/14

N2 - Background: Collaborative interprofessional practices are essential in caring for people with complex mental health problems. Despite the difficulties of demonstrating positive impacts of interprofessional education (IPE), it is believed to enhance interprofessional practices. We aimed to assess impacts on patient satisfaction, self-reported psychological distress and mental health status in a psychiatric ward. Methods: We conducted a nonrandomized intervention study with patient satisfaction, psychological distress, and health status as outcomes. Mental health inpatients were referred to either an interprofessional training unit (intervention group) or to a conventionally organized ward (comparison group). Outcomes were assessed using the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8). Results: The intervention group included 129 patients, the comparison group 123. The former group reported better mental health status than the latter; the postintervention mean difference between them being 5.30 (95% CI 2.71-7.89; p = 0.001; SF-36), with an effect size of 0.24. The intervention group patients also scored higher on satisfaction (mean difference 1.01; 95% CI 0.06-1.96; p = 0.04), with an effect size of 0.31. The groups' mean scores of psychological distress were identical. Conclusion: Our results support the hypothesized value of interprofessional training: intervention group patients reported higher scores regarding mental health status and satisfaction than did comparison group patients. As IPE interventions have rarely involved patients and fewer have taken place in practice settings, further research into both the processes and the long-term effects of IPE in mental healthcare is needed. Trial registration: The study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03070977 on March 6, 2017.

AB - Background: Collaborative interprofessional practices are essential in caring for people with complex mental health problems. Despite the difficulties of demonstrating positive impacts of interprofessional education (IPE), it is believed to enhance interprofessional practices. We aimed to assess impacts on patient satisfaction, self-reported psychological distress and mental health status in a psychiatric ward. Methods: We conducted a nonrandomized intervention study with patient satisfaction, psychological distress, and health status as outcomes. Mental health inpatients were referred to either an interprofessional training unit (intervention group) or to a conventionally organized ward (comparison group). Outcomes were assessed using the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8). Results: The intervention group included 129 patients, the comparison group 123. The former group reported better mental health status than the latter; the postintervention mean difference between them being 5.30 (95% CI 2.71-7.89; p = 0.001; SF-36), with an effect size of 0.24. The intervention group patients also scored higher on satisfaction (mean difference 1.01; 95% CI 0.06-1.96; p = 0.04), with an effect size of 0.31. The groups' mean scores of psychological distress were identical. Conclusion: Our results support the hypothesized value of interprofessional training: intervention group patients reported higher scores regarding mental health status and satisfaction than did comparison group patients. As IPE interventions have rarely involved patients and fewer have taken place in practice settings, further research into both the processes and the long-term effects of IPE in mental healthcare is needed. Trial registration: The study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03070977 on March 6, 2017.

KW - Inpatients

KW - Interprofessional training

KW - IPE

KW - Mental health services

KW - Patient-reported outcomes

KW - PRO

KW - Team-based care

U2 - 10.1186/s12888-020-02616-x

DO - 10.1186/s12888-020-02616-x

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 32410668

AN - SCOPUS:85084787521

VL - 20

JO - B M C Psychiatry

JF - B M C Psychiatry

SN - 1471-244X

IS - 1

M1 - 236

ER -