Title: Improving satisfaction with information about medicines prescribed for bipolar disorder in Sussex Partnership NHS Trust
Funder: Department of Health (England)

Abstract: Background IIn order to make informed decisions about medicines, service users need adequate information. However, national research by this team with members of the Manic Depression Fellowship (now called MDF The BiPolar Organisation) identified widespread dissatisfaction with medicines information. Participants prescribed medication for bipolar disorder were significantly less satisfied with information than those prescribed medication for other long-term conditions. At a local level, in the 2007 Healthcare Commission Community Mental Health Survey, Sussex Partnership NHS Trust was rated by patients to be in the worst performing 20% of trusts in terms of provision of information about medicines, highlighting an area where the Trust’s performance could improve. This study will address this problem. Aims - To identify service users’ medicines information needs - To develop an intervention to meet these needs through: (1) Information provision and signposting (helping service users to access existing high-quality information). (2) Guidance on getting the best from medicine-related consultations, including a checklist to identify personal information needs and provide a framework for the consultation. (3) Briefing mental health practitioners by raising awareness of the issues and giving guidance on meeting service users’ information needs. -To use qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the impact of the intervention on service users’ satisfaction with medicines information. -To use qualitative methods to explore mental health practitioners’ perceptions of the intervention. Plan of Investigation Phase 1: Focus groups will be conducted with service users to identify their medicines information needs. A multi-disciplinary research team (including service users, researchers, health professionals and an information designer) will develop an intervention consisting of (1) information provision/ signposting (2) guidance for service users on getting the best from consultations (3) guidance for mental health practitioners on meeting service users’ needs. Phase 2: The intervention will be delivered to 140 service users in Sussex Partnership NHS Trust. Questionnaires will be used to assess satisfaction with medicines information before and after the intervention. Interviews will be used to explore service users’ and mental health practitioners’ experience of the intervention in more depth. Potential Impact IIt is anticipated that information provision tailored to the needs of service users will increase satisfaction with information about medicine and facilitate informed decisions and appropriate use of medicines. Satisfaction with information is also associated with greater adherence to medication, found to reduce the risk of relapse in bipolar disorder. Helping service users to identify and communicate their medicines information needs will help make medicines-related consultations more effective and efficient. The project will help health providers to understand service users’ views about medicines and become more effective at meeting information needs. It will develop the expertise and profile of the Trust and address a current need to improve information provision.


Research activity codes: 7.1 INDIVIDUAL CARE NEEDS;8.1 ORGANISATION AND DELIVERY OF SERVICES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH