The Patient Journey of Schizophrenia in Mental Health Services: Results from a Co-Designed Survey by Clinicians, Expert Patients and Caregivers.

BACKGROUND

The Patient Journey Project aims to collect real-world experiences on schizophrenia management in clinical practice throughout all the phases of the disorder, highlighting virtuous paths, challenges and unmet needs.

METHODS

A 60-item survey was co-designed with all the stakeholders (clinicians, expert patients and caregivers) involved in the patient's journey, focusing on three areas: , . For each statement, the respondents expressed their consensus on the and the in clinical practice. The respondents included heads of the Mental Health Services (MHSs) in the Lombardy region, Italy.

RESULTS

For , a strong consensus was found; however, the implementation degree was moderate-to-good. For , a strong consensus and a good level of implementation were found. For , a strong consensus was found, but the implementation level was slightly above the cut-off, with 44.4% of the statements being rated as only moderately implemented. Overall, the survey showed a strong consensus and a good level of implementation.

CONCLUSIONS

The survey offered an updated evaluation of the priority intervention areas for MHSs and highlighted the current limitations. Particularly, early phases and chronicity management should be further implemented to improve the patient journey of schizophrenia patients.