Evaluating the Efficacy of a Late-Life Schizophrenia Integrated Care Pathway to Treat Acute Psychotic Symptoms

As of late Integrated Care Pathways (ICPs) have been shown to improve quality of care in the medical field with special attention given to mental health in particular. One aspect of metal health that has not seen the incorporation of ICPs is in the area of schizophrenia. Late life Schizophrenia (LLS) is defined as suffering from schizophrenia and being 50 years of age or older. The LLS-ICP study will look at the efficacy of an ICP in late life schizophrenia versus treatment as usual (TAU). Participants with LLS and having psychotic symptoms above a predefined threshold will be randomly assigned to a TAU group or an ICP group. The primary outcome measure will be reduction in symptom severity as measured by clinical global impression severity scale (CGI-S) and brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS). If successful, this study will provide strong evidence to implement LLS-ICP across different inpatient and outpatient settings.

This study aims to investigate whether a Late-Life Schizophrenia-Integrated Care Pathway (LLS-ICP) is superior to treatment as usual (TAU) in the treatment of psychotic symptoms of patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. The investigators hypothesize that the LLS-ICP will be superior to TAU and result in 1.higher rates of response, 2. shorter times to response, 3. less side effects, 4. and better functional outcomes. The LLS-ICP study will be the first randomized controlled study to assess the efficacy of an ICP in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in this region. If successful, it will lead to the development of new and innovative approaches to health care delivery to patients with chronic schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder not just within this institution but also at other sites in the community. The nature of ICPs as algorithmic and systematic in providing assessments and treatments render them ideal to be disseminated to medical practice outside of the institution of where they have been developed. These settings can include primary care clinics, supportive living environments, and long-term care homes where patients with chronic schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder are being cared for.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* All races and ethnicity
* Meets DSM-IV TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Version 4 Text Revision) criteria for a current diagnosis of Schizophrenia
* clinically unstable and in an acute episode as defined by a CGI severity score greater than 3 or a BPRS thought disorder sub-scale score higher than 6 (total score).
* Willingness and ability to speak English
* Willingness to provide informed consent or has a proxy who can do so
* Corrected visual ability that enables reading of newspaper headlines and corrected hearing capacity that is adequate to respond to a raised conversational voice.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosis of bipolar disorder, current major depressive episode or an acutely psychotic episode secondary to a non-schizophrenic disorder
* Meets diagnostic criteria for substance use or dependence within the 6 months prior to the initial assessment except for caffeine or nicotine