OBJECTIVES:

All chronic diseases, including mental illness, need to be followed with a continuity of care by different care providers, the coordination of which would improve the monitoring of the treatment. In Spain, 9% of the population suffer from schizophrenia, about 400,000 people. Adherence is the major predictive risk factor for relapses in this population. Since patients hide their disease to avoid social stigma, it is important that the patient does not feel alone and contributes to treatment decisions. This proposal aims to evaluate if coordinated care improves drug management and treatment compliance.

METHODS:

This project is a new model within the existing structure and should take place at the local level (county, district) so as to be close to the patient. It consists of a group of responsible for drug evaluation, management, dispensation and pharmacovigilance: the “3Ph” group, composed of Hospital, Primary Care and Community Pharmacists.

RESULTS:

This group must meet once a year, base their work in Health Plans for Chronicity, Mental Health and Adherence and review with a certain methodology: (a) Treatments: Objective criteria for drug selection, the adjustment of treatments to patient’s life routines, factors leading to non-adherence, conciliation at the time of the discharge, treatment reviews; (b) Management: Quality indicators, drug utilization rates, methodology of Pharmaceutical Care and responsibilities and functions of each health care level to assure the continuity of care; (c) Evaluation and redesign.

CONCLUSIONS:

The proposal for the creation of “3Ph” groups at local level, a Mental Health collaborative project that is fully aligned with current Spanish Health trends. The first step is to set up its specific methodology. Therefore, it will be further possible to evaluate their benefits in terms of adherence, prevention of relapses and improvement of patient’s satisfaction, quality of life and disease outcomes.