Improving Health Literacy in Patients With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder

The Impact of Health Literacy on the Attitudes Toward Pharmacological Treatment in Patients With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder

The Impact of Health Literacy on the Attitudes toward Pharmacological Treatment in Patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder

This interventional study is aimed at:

• assessing and improving the health literacy and
• assessing the attitude towards treatment of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders while they are admitted to the inpatient psychiatric unit.

The study will take place at University Medical Center in New Orleans, LA and will include 34 patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder diagnosis who are admitted to the psychiatric unit. Participants will take tests to assess their knowledge of SSD before and after receiving educational materials during their hospitalization. They will also receive questionnaires assessing their attitudes toward treatment before and after the educational interventions. After each patient is provided with educational material, they will be allowed to ask the healthcare provider questions pertaining to schizophrenia. Following discharge, patients will be followed for a total of 12 months, where they will be called to answer questions about medication adherence.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients admitted to the University Medical Center-New Orleans (UMCNO) inpatient behavioral health unit ages 18 and older with a new or previous diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorder outside of substance use disorders
• Patients must be proficient in English.
• Patients must have a government issued social security number (required for reimbursement through the university).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients at UMCNO that are ages 17 or younger
• Patients with SSD and concomitant intellectual disability, as evidenced by prior documented history on chart review or patients suspected to have intellectual disability or impairment based on clinical interactions
• Patients with concomitant substance use and documentation of psychosis being resolved after a period of washout and without the use of psychotropic medications
• Patients unable to complete health literacy assessments, attitude towards treatment assessments, and IQ testing due to severity of symptoms during hospitalization
• Patients that are not proficient in English
• Patients that do not have a government issued social security number