Michael Hall was a previous participant of our ECR Pathway, in collaboration with NIHR CRN North West Coast and Greater Manchester.
Michael has successfully published his work on ‘Time to treatment of first-episode psychosis: the role of early intervention teams’ Michael adds that the support he received from the ECR Pathway programme helped in the success of getting his work published!
Congratulations Michael and colleagues!
To read the full article visit the MAG online Library
Abstract
Background/Aims Psychosis can affect a person’s functioning, quality of life and physical health. Early intervention for service users presenting with psychosis has been implemented via early intervention teams, but there are inconsistencies in assessment and treatment. The aim of this study was to examine time to treatment (defined as the commencement of antipsychotic medication) for service users experiencing first-episode psychosis, the impact of this and engagement with teams. The authors explored the effect of patient characteristics (eg gender, deprivation, ethnicity, age) and early intervention teams on time to treatment for psychosis.
Methods A retrospective cohort study was undertaken using routine data of service users accessing three early intervention teams from 2018–19. The care records of 457 service users were examined, including patient characteristics, assessments, time to first contact, treatment and time to discharge. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences.
Results Use of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale assessment tool differed across the three early intervention teams. Engagement with all teams varied by gender. Men were particularly slow to access treatment in one team (118 of 163 service users, 72.4%).
Conclusions Increased emphasis on engaging male patients may improve service delivery. Improved communication between early intervention teams could increase standardisation of assessment and treatment.
Key words: Early intervention; Early intervention teams; Operational research; Schizophrenia; Service evaluation; SORT IT research
Submitted: 12 July 2023; accepted following double-blind peer review: 12 January 2024
Authors: Michael Hall, Rachel Mills, Edward Watson, Rajan Nathan, Alex G Stewart
Correspondence to: Michael Hall, michael.hall5@nhs.net