Effectiveness of psychiatric outreach teams for supported accommodation in Denmark

Background: People with severe mental illness living in supported accommodation often have a diagnosis of schizophrenia with complications such as treatment resistance, substance use, and physical health comorbidities. The complex needs of this population underline the need for interventions that effectively coordinate health care treatment. However, supported accommodation is generally staffed by employees with a non-medical background. The Capital Region of Denmark has established psychiatric outreach teams to improve the coherence of support between mental health care and supported accommodation services. This study aimed to investigate the clinical effectiveness of psychiatric outreach teams for people living in supported accommodation.

 

Methods: We used a mirror-image design to compare outcomes occurring before the index date (the implementation date of the psychiatric outreach teams) with outcomes after the index date. Pre-index outcomes were collected at the beginning of September 2020, and post-index outcomes were collected every six months until two years of follow-up. Outcomes included antipsychotic polypharmacy, antipsychotics in combination with benzodiazepines, high-dose (above-recommended level) antipsychotic treatment, and substance use. Furthermore, we examined the proportion of people with untreated or dysregulated physical disease who needed further examination or treatment by their general practitioner or at the hospital.

 

Results: A total of 74 individuals have been included in this study. Results are expected soon and will be ready to be presented at the ENMESH conference. We expect that the introduction of psychiatric outreach teams will improve the quality of pharmacological treatment, reduce the number of individuals with substance use, and facilitate access to treatment for physical disease.

 

Conclusions: This study will generate new knowledge on whether psychiatric outreach teams for supported accommodation can improve clinical outcomes for individuals with severe mental illness living in supported accommodation.