Effectiveness of an Interactive Educational Website for Improving the Quality of Mental Health Care for People With Schizophrenia

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study will evaluate the effectiveness of an interactive educational website in enhancing discussions about treatment issues and improving the quality of care for people with schizophrenia.

Detailed Description
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Schizophrenia is a disabling mental disorder that causes hallucinations and delusions in those affected by it. Research has proven that certain treatment methods are more effective in treating schizophrenia than others. However, not everyone with schizophrenia responds to treatment in the same way, and not all physicians use the same treatment methods. Educating individuals with schizophrenia about all treatments available instead of only the treatments they are receiving may improve the quality of care and lead to better correlation between treatment and quality standards. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of an interactive educational website in enhancing discussions about treatment issues and improving the congruence between expected quality of treatment and treatment received among people with schizophrenia. Participants in this open label study will be randomly assigned to either use the interactive website or read written materials and watch a video. All three sources will contain information about evidence-based treatment recommendations. Both groups will complete a brief interview before performing their assigned tasks. Upon completion of the interview, participants in the written materials/video group will be given the reading material and will watch a 20-minute video. Participants in the web-user group will sit with a laptop computer, answer questions about themselves and their treatment, receive feedback on care that may be inconsistent with current recommendations, and receive suggestions on how to discuss this with their physicians. Participants in clinical settings will be asked to allow their next clinician visit to be audiotaped to assess outcomes. A phone interview will be conducted with all participants 2 months following the intervention to assess treatment satisfaction and other outcomes. Medical records will be reviewed to collect treatment information 6 months before and after the intervention.

Official Title
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Consumer Internet Education About Mental Health Quality

Conditions
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Schizophrenia

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Interactive Website on management of schizophrenia
* Behavioral: Written materials and video on management of schizophrenia


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Diagnosis of schizophrenia Able to read and write English Scheduled to see a participating clinician at one of the study sites Exclusion Criteria: N/A

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 13 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: 1<br>Participants will use the interactive website | Behavioral: Interactive Website on management of schizophrenia<br>* Participants in the web-user group will sit with a laptop computer, answer questions about themselves and their treatment, receive feedback on care that may be inconsistent with current recommendations, and receive suggestions on how to discuss this with their physicians.<br>|
| Active Comparator: 2<br>Participants will read written materials and watch a video | Behavioral: Written materials and video on management of schizophrenia<br>* Participants in the written materials/video group will be given the reading material and will watch a 20-minute video.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Concordance of treatment with evidence-based recommendations |  | Measured at Month 6 | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Patient engagement in dialogue with clinician about schizophrenia management issues |  | Measured at visit immediately following intervention/control condition | 
| Clinician satisfaction with interaction with patient |  | Measured at visit immediately following intervention/control condition | 
| Patient satisfaction with interaction with clinician |  | Measured at visit immediately following intervention/control condition and at Month 2 post-intervention | 
| Symptoms of psychosis |  | Measured at Month 2 post-intervention | 
| Symptoms of depression |  | Measured at Month 2 post-intervention | 
| Quality of life ratings |  | Measured at Month 2 post-intervention | 
| Adherence to care regimen |  | Measured at Month 2 post-intervention | 
| Satisfaction with outcomes of care |  | Measured at Month 2 post-intervention | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Patient participation, Patient education, Consumer involvement