Effect of the Needs Management Program Based on Shared Decision Making on Unmet Needs and Recovery in Individuals With Severe Mental Illness at Community Mental Health Centers: A Quasi-Experimental Feasibility and Pilot Study.

PURPOSE

To conduct a pilot trial of the Shared Decision Making-Needs Management Program (SDM-NeedMan) for individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) attending community mental health centers (CMHCs), focusing on unmet and total needs and recovery outcomes.

METHOD

This feasibility and pilot study had a pre-/posttest quasi-experimental design with no control group. Twenty-nine individuals with SMI who attended a CMHC from May 2023 to March 2024 completed the study. The intervention, selected from five independent modules of the SDM-NeedMan, was administered over three sessions. Outcomes were measured using the Camberwell Assessment of Need Short Appraisal Schedule (CANSAS) and Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS).

RESULTS

One module was applied to 23 participants, whereas an additional two modules were applied to six participants. Prior to the SDM-NeedMan intervention, mean unmet needs score on the CANSAS was 6.17 ( = 3.18), which significantly decreased to 2.44 ( = 1.95) after the intervention ( = -4.638, < 0.05). Mean total needs score before the intervention was 8.89 ( = 3.05), which significantly decreased to 5.62 ( = 2.82) after the intervention ( = -4.556, < 0.05). Mean total score on the RAS before the intervention was 63.57 ( = 23.65), which significantly increased to 91.62 ( = 18.1) after the intervention ( = -4.294, < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Results provide initial evidence of the feasibility of the SDMNeedMan by psychiatric-mental health nurses in CMHCs. [(x), xx-xx.].