CLIENT FEEDBACK SURVEY: WHAT INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT TO ME TO LEARN ABOUT ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATIONS?

Purpose:   To ascertain what information is important to clients with chronic and persistent mental illness when considering antipsychotic medications. This is one of the initial steps in our design of an antipsychotic decision aid for use in shared decision making.

Method:   After a review of the shared decision making literature and several existing psychoactive medication decision aids, we convened a group of clinicians and client-advocates to draft various informational questions, comparisons and components concerning the antipsychotic drugs. Then, this 11 item survey was used to conduct one to one interviews with clients at two different mental health programs. Information was collected from the clients based on their rating, preferences and needs when considering taking an antipsychotic drug.

Result:   A total of 19 clients were interviewed over a 2-day period by the same interviewer. The clients indicated that “which medication to take” and “whether to get treatment” were the biggest concerns and most important decisions for clients experiencing psychosis. In addition, they indicated that they preferred to decide on their own with the help of a doctor or family member. The most important components of educational questions were “what are the side effects of the medications” , “what is the drug is supposed to do”, “can I reduce or stop the drug”,  and “how long before I see improvement”. The clients also indicated that the most influential factor in deciding to take an antipsychotic medication was side effects. Furthermore, 94% indicated that having a summary of the most current expert recommendations based on comprehensive antipsychotic reviews would be helpful.

Conclusion: By conducting a survey of clients who previously had made decisions choosing an antipsychotic medication, preferences were collected indicating specific information that may be helpful for other clients when participating in shared decision making, and in the development of an antipsychotic decision aid.