MEDICATION: EDUCATING THE PSYCHIATRIC PATIENT

PATIENT EDUCATION AND MEDICATION COMPLIANCE ARE PRIORITIES FOR OUTPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC CARE, FOR BOTH IMPROVED HEALTH AND RELAPSE PREVENTION. THE PHYSICIAN WORKLOAD IN THE OUTPATIENT SETTING IS OFTEN HEAVY AND WITH INSUFFICIENT TIMEFOR MEDICATION EDUCATION TO TAKE PLACE. OUR PROJECT'S GOAL IS TO IMPROVE BOTH TEACHING EFFICACY AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS THROUGH COMPUTER-ASSISTED-INSTRUCTION OF PATIENTS CONCERNINGTHEIR MEDICATION AND ITS POTENTIAL SIDE-EFFECTS. TO REACH THIS GOAL, WE ENVISION MEDED, A COMPUTER WORKSTATION INTERFACED WITH CD-ROM-BASED HIGH-RESOLUTION COMPUTER SOUND AND GRAPHICS. THIS COMBINATION INCLUDES AN INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC INTERFACE CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING INTEREST AND EFFECTIVELY TEACHING THE MATERIAL. BASED ON EITHER AN APPLEMACINTOSH, OR AN IBM PC COMPATIBLE COMPUTER, THE STATION WOULD BE PLACED IN OUTPATIENT CLINICS SUCH AS COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTERS. OUTPATIENTS WILL BE ABLE TO LEARN OFTHEIR NEWLY PRESCRIBED MEDICATIONS THROUGH AN INDIVIDUALIZEDAUDIO-VISUAL FORMAT. AT THE CONCLUSION OF AN EDUCATIONAL SESSION, A WRITTEN REPORT SUMMARIZING THAT PATIENT'S LEARNING EXPERIENCE WILL BE PRINTED FOR BOTH THE PATIENT ANDTHE MEDICAL RECORD. THE INITIAL PROJECT (PHASE 1) WILL INVOLVE THE PRODUCTION OFAN EDUCATIONAL SEQUENCE FOR ONE MEDICATION, HALOPERIDOL. THE WORKSTATION'S EFFICACY WILL BE TESTED USING PRE- AND POST-TESTS ON A SAMPLE OF PSYCHIATRY OUTPATIENTS IN THE SCHIZOPHRENIA MODULE AT WESTERN PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE AND CLINIC. PATIENT EDUCATION AND MEDICATION COMPLIANCE ARE PRIORITIES FOR OUTPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC CARE, FOR BOTH IMPROVED HEALTH AND RELAPSE PREVENTION. THE PHYSICIAN WORKLOAD IN THE OUTPATIENT SETTING IS OFTEN HEAVY AND WITH INSUFFICIENT TIMEFOR MEDICATION EDUCATION TO TAKE PLACE. OUR PROJECT'S GOAL IS TO IMPROVE BOTH TEACHING EFFICACY AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS THROUGH COMPUTER-ASSISTED-INSTRUCTION OF PATIENTS CONCERNINGTHEIR MEDICATION AND ITS POTENTIAL SIDE-EFFECTS. TO REACH THIS GOAL, WE ENVISION MEDED, A COMPUTER WORKSTATION INTERFACED WITH CD-ROM-BASED HIGH-RESOLUTION COMPUTER SOUND AND GRAPHICS. THIS COMBINATION INCLUDES AN INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC INTERFACE CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING INTEREST AND EFFECTIVELY TEACHING THE MATERIAL. BASED ON EITHER AN APPLEMACINTOSH, OR AN IBM PC COMPATIBLE COMPUTER, THE STATION WOULD BE PLACED IN OUTPATIENT CLINICS SUCH AS COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTERS. OUTPATIENTS WILL BE ABLE TO LEARN OFTHEIR NEWLY PRESCRIBED MEDICATIONS THROUGH AN INDIVIDUALIZEDAUDIO-VISUAL FORMAT. AT THE CONCLUSION OF AN EDUCATIONAL SESSION, A WRITTEN REPORT SUMMARIZING THAT PATIENT'S LEARNING EXPERIENCE WILL BE PRINTED FOR BOTH THE PATIENT ANDTHE MEDICAL RECORD. THE INITIAL PROJECT (PHASE 1) WILL INVOLVE THE PRODUCTION OFAN EDUCATIONAL SEQUENCE FOR ONE MEDICATION, HALOPERIDOL. THE WORKSTATION'S EFFICACY WILL BE TESTED USING PRE- AND POST-TESTS ON A SAMPLE OF PSYCHIATRY OUTPATIENTS IN THE SCHIZOPHRENIA MODULE AT WESTERN PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE AND CLINIC.