Innovative Strategies Improving Therapy Adherence
Helmut Niederhofer *
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Saxon Hospital Rodewisch, Hospital for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Neurology Bahnhofstrasse 108228, Rodewisch, Germany.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: The aim of this short communication is to report strategies of how to improve patient`s adherence.
Methodology: 60 psychiatric in-patients were subdivided into three subsamples with different methods to organize outpatient treatment, one third was informed about the importance of therapy continuation, one third fixed an appointment before discharge and one third had a face-to-face contact, lasting for at least 15 minutes.
Results: Results show, that personal contact (94% continued therapy after discharge) is the best method to motivate patients suffering from psychiatric diseases to accept outpatient treatment.
Conclusions: To improve patient`s adherence, personal contact to the psychiatrist, who continues therapy after discharge, should be favorised.
Keywords: Psychiatric patients, adherence, compliance, continued therapy