During the past decades deinstitutionalisation policies have led to a transition from inpatient towards community mental health care. Many European countries implement Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) as an alternative for inpatient care for “difficult to reach” children and adolescents with severe mental illness. ACT is a well-organized low-threshold treatment modality; patients are actively approached in their own environment, and efforts are undertaken to strengthen the patient’s motivation for treatment. The assumption is that ACT may help to avoid psychiatric hospital admissions, enhance cost-effectiveness, stimulate social participation and support, and reduce stigma. ACT has been extensively investigated in adults with severe mental illness and various reviews support its effectiveness in this patient group. However, to date there is no review available regarding the effectiveness of youth-ACT. It is unknown whether youth-ACT is as effective as it is in adults. This review aims to assess the effects of youth-ACT on severity of psychiatric symptoms, general functioning, and psychiatric hospital admissions.
Introduction F-ACT is a flexible version of Assertive Community Treatment to deliver care in a changing intensity depending on needs of individuals with severe mental illnesses (Van Veldhuizen, 2007). In 2016 a number of the FACT-teams in the Dutch region of Utrecht moved to locations in neighborhoods and started to work as one network team together with neighborhood based facilities in primary care (GP’s) and in the social domain (supported living, social district teams, etc.). This should create better chances on clinical, social and personal recovery of service users. Objectives This study describes the implementation, obstacles and outcomes for service users. The main question is whether this Collaborative Mental Health Care in the Community produces better outcome than regular FACT. Measures include (met/unmet) needs for care, quality of life, clinical, functional and personal recovery, and hospital admission days. Methods Data on care utilization regarding the innovation are compared to regular FACT. Qualitative interviews are conducted to gain insight in the experiences of service users, their family members and mental health care workers. Changes in outcome measures of service users in pilot areas (N=400) were compared to outcomes of users (matched on gender and level of functioning) in regular FACT teams in the period 2015-2018 (total N=800). Results Data-analyses will take place from January to March 2019. Initial analyses point at a greater feeling of holding and safety for service users in the pilot areas and less hospital admission days. Conclusions Preliminary results support the development from FACT to a community based collaborative care service.
Background: There is still limited evidence on the effectiveness and implementation of smoking cessation interventions for people with severe mental illness (SMI) in Dutch outpatient psychiatric settings. The present study aimed to establish expert consensus on the core components and strategies to optimise practical implementation of a smoking cessation intervention for people treated by Flexible Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) teams in the Netherlands. Design: A modified Delphi method was applied to reach consensus on three core components (behavioural counselling, pharmacological treatment and peer support) of the intervention. The Delphi panel comprised five experts with different professional backgrounds. We proposed a first intervention concept. The panel critically examined the evolving concept in three iterative rounds of 90 min each. Responses were recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Results: Overall, results yielded that behavioural counselling should focus on preparation for smoking cessation, guidance, relapse prevention and normalisation. Pharmacological treatment consisting of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), Varenicline or Bupropion, under supervision of a psychiatrist, was recommended. The panel agreed on integrating peer support as a regular part of the intervention, thus fostering emotional and practical support among patients. Treatment of a co-morbid cannabis use disorder needs to be integrated into the intervention if indicated. Regarding implementation, staff’s motivation to support smoking cessation was considered essential. For each ambulatory team, two mental health care professionals will have a central role in delivering the intervention. Conclusions: This study provides insight into expert consensus on the core components of a smoking cessation intervention for people with SMI. The results of this study were used for the development of a comprehensive smoking cessation program.
Aanleiding Sinds kort nemen zorgprofessionals en onderzoekers in Nederland initiatieven om mensen met een licht verstandelijke beperking (LVB) zo lang mogelijk te laten functioneren in de eigen thuissituatie. Een manier om dit te doen is de inzet van zogenoemde Functional Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) teams. Deze teams gebruiken voornamelijk verbale interventies. Maar mensen met een LVB hebben moeite met het verwerken van verbale informatie. Vaktherapie kan juist met non-verbale en ervaringsgerichte methodieken goed aansluiten bij deze groep. Dit innovatieprogramma richt zich op de vraag van vaktherapeuten hoe en in welke vorm zij, in of rondom FACT LVB-teams, mensen met een LVB kunnen helpen. Doelstelling Het doel van de deelnemers aan het project is de zorg en ondersteuning van mensen met een LVB in de eigen thuissituatie (buurt/wijk) te verbeteren. Liefst zodanig dat deze mensen minder vaak hoeven te worden (her)opgenomen in een behandelcentrum. Het doel van het project is om de meerwaarde vast te stellen van de inzet van vaktherapie in of rondom FACT LVB teams bij het realiseren van deze ambitie. Het project is gefaseerd opgebouwd. In de eerste fase worden de vaktherapeutische behandelvormen bepaald. Vervolgens worden efficiënte interprofessionele werkwijzen en een vaktherapeutische behandel- & ondersteuningsroute vastgesteld, en ten slotte wordt het project geëvalueerd. Beoogde resultaten Het project biedt resulteert in een handreiking voor professionals om interprofessioneel samen te werken in de wijk voor mensen met LVB. Binnen het onderwijs levert het project een bijdrage aan een minor 'Wijkgerichte zorg & ondersteuning'. Het biedt een leerwerkplaats LVB voor studenten vaktherapie en aanpalende gebieden. De handreiking wordt geïmplementeerd in de opleidingen die opleiden tot vaktherapeut. Zogenaamde 'battles', waarin interprofessioneel samenwerken aan problemen vanuit de praktijk en het beste idee bekroond wordt met een stimuleringsprijs, zorgen voor verdere ontwikkeling. Publicaties in vakliteratuur zorgen voor verspreiding van de projectresultaten. De deelnemers aan het project zullen aansluiting zoeken bij symposia - regionaal, nationaal en internationaal - en bijeenkomsten buiten en binnen het netwerk om de resultaten aan een breed publiek te presenteren.
