Extrait

Background and study aims The German mental health system often lacks the ability to provide integrated and intensified outpatient care for people with severe mental illness. Assertive Outreach (AO), an approach for an intensive, community-based health care delivery, could help to overcome some of the deficits. A model of AO treatment in which office-based psychiatrists collaborate with ambulatory nursing services to provide a complex model of intensive homecare is currently being used in rural areas of Lower Saxony, Germany. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of this model for adult patients suffering from schizophrenia, a severe long-term mental health condition. Who can participate? Patients aged 18 or older with schizophrenia What does the study involve? Patients receiving AO are compared to patients who are not eligible for AO because this treatment model is not reimbursed by their health insurance (they receive treatment as usual). The observation period for each patient spans over 12 months with assessments every 3 months for healthcare use and every 6 months for all other parameters (psychopathology, level of functioning, patient satisfaction with care and healthcare costs). What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? It is hoped that patients receiving AO require fewer days of hospital treatment than patients receiving treatment as usual. The findings from the study will be of great help for the further development of mental healthcare in Germany. Where is the study run from? Leuphana University Lueneburg (Germany) When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? May 2011 to March 2012. Who is funding the study? The study is funded through European Funds for Regional Development and through the Federal State of Lower Saxony within the framework of the Innovation-Incubator at Leuphana University Lueneburg (Germany) Who is the main contact? Jörn Moock [email protected]

Critère d'inclusion

• Schizophrenia

Liens

• isrctn
• ictrp