Engagement with clinical services for youth with early psychosis represents a significant challenge, with up to 40% of patients dropping out of treatment in the first year. This has been linked to worse illness outcomes and represents a significant barrier to recovery for these patients. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of short message service (SMS) as a means of improving clinical engagement in early-episode psychosis populations by bridging contact between appointments with weekly check-ins/reminders. These weekly check-ins during the first year of treatment will serve as an additional opportunity to reach out to patients and give them a chance to do the same with their care teams, with patient responses triggering clinician follow-up if necessary.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
61
Interactive SMS text message check-ins delivered once weekly to participants.
Minimally interactive SMS text message delivered once weekly to participants.
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Service Engagement Scale (SES)
Clinician-rated treatment engagement and adherence (minimum score = 0, maximum score = 42, higher score indicates worse service engagement)
Time frame: 9 months
Appointment Attendance
Percentage of attended clinic appointments
Time frame: 9 months
Emergency Department Visits
Number of emergency department visits
Time frame: 9 months
Hospitalizations
Number of hospitalizations
Time frame: 9 months
Social Functioning Scale (SFS)
Self-report measure of social functioning (minimum score = 0, maximum score = 247, higher score indicates better functioning)
Time frame: 9 months
Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP)
Interview-rated measure of global functioning (minimum score = 1, maximum score = 100, higher score indicates better functioning)
Time frame: 9 months
Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LESQ-18)
Self-reported measure of subjective quality of life (minimum score = 1, maximum score = 5, higher score indicates better quality of life)
Time frame: 9 months
Clinical Global Impression (CGI)
Interview-based global rating of illness severity (minimum score = 1, maximum score = 7, higher score indicates worse illness severity)
Time frame: 9 months
Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS)
Interview-based measure of the severity of psychiatric symptoms (minimum score = 24, maximum score = 168, higher score indicates higher severity of symptoms)
Time frame: 9 months
Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS)
Interview-based measure of the severity of negative symptoms (minimum score = 0, maximum score = 110, higher score indicates higher severity of symptoms)
Time frame: 9 months
Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES)
Interview-rated measure of the severity of motivation deficits (minimum score = 18, maximum score = 72, higher score indicates worse motivation deficits)
Time frame: 9 months
Brief Cognitive Assessment Tool for Schizophrenia (B-CATS)
Rater-administered measure of cognitive functioning (scores indicate standardized Z-scores with no pre-defined minimum or maximum score, higher score indicates better cognitive functioning)
Time frame: 9 months
Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI-10)
Self-reported measure of medication adherence (minimum score = -10, maximum score = + 10, higher score indicates better adherence)
Time frame: 9 months
Scale To Assess Therapeutic Relationships - Patient Version (STAR-P)
Self-reported measure of the clinician-patient therapeutic relationship (minimum score = 0, maximum score = 48, higher score indicates better therapeutic relationship)
Time frame: 9 months
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