TY - JOUR
T1 - Services to families of adults with schizophrenia
T2 - From treatment recommendations to dissemination
AU - Dixon, Lisa
AU - Lyles, Alan
AU - Scott, Jack
AU - Lehman, Anthony
AU - Postrado, Leticia
AU - Goldman, Howard
AU - McGlynn, Elizabeth
PY - 1999/1/1
Y1 - 1999/1/1
N2 - Objective: Data from the Schizophrenia Patient Outcomes Research Team project were examined to determine the extent to which families of adults with schizophrenia receive services and whether training staff in the provision of family services increases service availability. Methods: For patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, paid claims for family therapy were identified in 1991 in a nationally representative sample of Medicare data and one state's Medicaid data. In a field study in two states, 530 patients were asked about services received by their families. A quasiexperimental dissemination of a family intervention was done at nine agencies; staff at four agencies received a standard didactic presentation, and staff at five received that standard presentation paired with intensive training. Results: In the representative national Medicare sample of 15,425 persons with schizophrenia, .7 percent (N=108) had an outpatient claim for family therapy. This figure was 7.1 percent in the Medicaid sample of 5,393 persons with schizophrenia in one state. Of the 530 patients in the field study who reported having contact with their families, 159 (30 percent) reported that their families had received information, advice, or support about their illness, and 40 (8 percent) responded that their families had attended an educational or support program. At the four agencies where staff received only didactic training, no changes in family services were found after one year. Three of the five agencies where staff participated in intensive training enhanced their family services. Conclusions: A minority of families of persons with schizophrenia receive information about the illness from providers. Implementation of model family interventions is possible with considerable technical assistance. A gap exists between best practices and standard practices for families of persons with schizophrenia.
AB - Objective: Data from the Schizophrenia Patient Outcomes Research Team project were examined to determine the extent to which families of adults with schizophrenia receive services and whether training staff in the provision of family services increases service availability. Methods: For patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, paid claims for family therapy were identified in 1991 in a nationally representative sample of Medicare data and one state's Medicaid data. In a field study in two states, 530 patients were asked about services received by their families. A quasiexperimental dissemination of a family intervention was done at nine agencies; staff at four agencies received a standard didactic presentation, and staff at five received that standard presentation paired with intensive training. Results: In the representative national Medicare sample of 15,425 persons with schizophrenia, .7 percent (N=108) had an outpatient claim for family therapy. This figure was 7.1 percent in the Medicaid sample of 5,393 persons with schizophrenia in one state. Of the 530 patients in the field study who reported having contact with their families, 159 (30 percent) reported that their families had received information, advice, or support about their illness, and 40 (8 percent) responded that their families had attended an educational or support program. At the four agencies where staff received only didactic training, no changes in family services were found after one year. Three of the five agencies where staff participated in intensive training enhanced their family services. Conclusions: A minority of families of persons with schizophrenia receive information about the illness from providers. Implementation of model family interventions is possible with considerable technical assistance. A gap exists between best practices and standard practices for families of persons with schizophrenia.
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U2 - 10.1176/ps.50.2.233
DO - 10.1176/ps.50.2.233
M3 - Article
C2 - 10030482
AN - SCOPUS:0032927785
VL - 50
SP - 233
EP - 238
JO - Hospital and Community Psychiatry
JF - Hospital and Community Psychiatry
SN - 1075-2730
IS - 2
ER -