Quality of Life following Adherence Therapy for People Disabled by Schizophrenia and their Carers

ISRCTN ISRCTN01816159
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN01816159
Secondary identifying numbers EU Contract: QLG4-CT-2001-01734.
Submission date
19/05/2003
Registration date
19/05/2003
Last edited
11/07/2014
Recruitment status
No longer recruiting
Overall study status
Completed
Condition category
Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Prospectively registered
Protocol
Statistical analysis plan
Results
Individual participant data

Plain English summary of protocol

Not provided at time of registration

Contact information

Prof Graham Thornicroft
Scientific

P029 Health Services Research Department
Institute of Psychiatry
King’s College London
University of London
De Crespigny Park
Camberwell
London
SE5 8AF
United Kingdom

Phone +44 (0)20 7848 0851
Email J.Bindman@iop.kcl.ac.uk

Study information

Study designRandomised controlled trial
Primary study designInterventional
Secondary study designRandomised controlled trial
Study setting(s)Not specified
Study typeQuality of life
Scientific title
Study acronymQUATRO
Study objectivesAdherence therapy will improve quality of life for patients, be cost effective, and reduce carer burden.
Ethics approval(s)Not provided at time of registration
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studiedSchizophrenia
InterventionPatients will receive 8 sessions of either adherence therapy or health education delivered by a trained therapist in each of the five sites. Fidelity will be maintained by group and individual supervision and monitored by examination of transcripts and recordings of interventions.

Adherence therapy
Adherence therapy is a pragmatic structured intervention drawing on the work of Kemp et al (1996; 1998) and Gray (2001). It has an emphasis on patients' personal choice and responsibility. Initially the therapist will undertake an assessment of the patient's views of their medication. The therapist and patient will then develop an individually tailored plan of therapeutic activities that they will then undertake. The intervention will conclude with a reassessment of the patients' view of medication. The intervention is manualised.

Health education
Health education draws on the work on medication education of Macpherson et al (1996) and represents best current practice. Trials are consistent in demonstrating that medication education is largely inert in terms of its effect on compliance. The control intervention is a structured intervention with the aim of increasing patients understanding of treatment. While its function in this trial is to control for therapist time, it is also necessary from an ethical standpoint that the intervention is useful, and perceived to be so by subjects, and without adverse effects. The therapist will begin by assessing patients' knowledge about medication. They will then deliver a set series of educational sessions about schizophrenia and its treatment, which do not use the techniques of the experimental intervention. The sessions are didactic rather than patient centred. The intervention is manualised.
Intervention typeOther
Primary outcome measureThe primary outcome measure for the primary hypothesis is the Mental Component Summary Score (MCS) of the SF-36.
Secondary outcome measuresOther scales to be measured at baseline and 12 months include the following:

Socio-demographic: CSRI-EU
Psychopathology: BPRS
Quality of Life: MANSA, EQ5D, SF36
Disability: WHO DAS II
Clinical status: GAF, Calgary Depression Scale
Carers QoL : EQ-EU
Insight: SAI-E
Drug attitude: DAI, Moriskey
Adherence: Adherence scale
Treatment: Medication qs from CSSRI-EU
Side effects: LUNSERS
Clinical course: Clinical course schedule
Costs: CSSRI-EU

Treatment fidelity will be assessed directly at 3 months: adherence therapists in the study will be asked to tape record sessions with patients in the intervention group, and these will be rated for treatment fidelity (according to the adherence intervention protocol) by the Study Co-ordinating Centre. A random sample of control group sessions will also be recorded and examined for fidelity.
Overall study start date01/01/2002
Completion date28/02/2005

Eligibility

Participant type(s)Patient
Age groupAdult
SexBoth
Target number of participants400
Key inclusion criteria1. International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth edition (ICD-10) schizophrenia

2. In the judgement of the responsible clinician are in need of maintenance anti-psychotic treatment for at least a year after entry to the study

3. Clear evidence of clinical instability in the previous year, defined by one or more of the following:
a. Hospital admission on clinical (mental health) grounds
b. A change in anti-psychotic medication
c. Increased frequency of contact (planned or actual)
d. Indications of clinical instability from relatives or carers
e. Indications of clinical instability from clinical team
Key exclusion criteria1. Patients suffering from moderate or severe learning disabilities concurrent with schizophrenia
2. Patients suffering from organic brain disorders
3. Patients being treated by forensic psychiatric services
4. Dependence on alcohol or illicit substances
5. Unable to speak language of host country to a sufficient standard to receive intervention
6. Involved in other studies which are agreed locally to preclude inclusion
7. Lack of capacity to consent to inclusion
Date of first enrolment01/01/2002
Date of final enrolment28/02/2005

Locations

Countries of recruitment

  • England
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Netherlands
  • United Kingdom

Study participating centre

P029 Health Services Research Department
London
SE5 8AF
United Kingdom

Sponsor information

King's College London (UK)
University/education

Institute of Psychiatry
De Crespigny Park
London
SE5 8AF
England
United Kingdom

Email G.Dale@iop.kcl.ac.uk
ROR logo "ROR" https://ror.org/0220mzb33

Funders

Funder type

Research organisation

European Union (Action Line: Quality of Life-2000- Public Health). European Union contract no. QLG4-CT-2001-01734.

No information available

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to shareNo
IPD sharing plan summaryNot provided at time of registration
Publication and dissemination planNot provided at time of registration
IPD sharing plan

Study outputs

Output type Details Date created Date added Peer reviewed? Patient-facing?
Results article results 01/05/2009 Yes No
Results article results 25/05/2013 Yes No