IPad assisted treatment of patients with schizophrenia

OPUS is an integrated, early intervention treatment, whichis provided by multidisciplinary teams and can be defined as a rich assertivecommunity treatment model, including protocols for medication, familyinvolvement, and social skills training. The team includes the following professions:psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric nurses, occupational therapist, andsocial worker. Each patient is offered integrated treatment for a period of twoyears. A primary team member is designated for each patient and is thenresponsible for maintaining contact and co-coordinating the treatment withinthe team and across different treatment and support facilities. The patientsare visited in their homes or other places in their community, or they are seenat the office according to the patient’s preference.

The therapeutic basis is cognitive therapy. A crisisplan is developed for each patient.

The OPUS team in the western part of Jutland ischallenged by a thinly populated area, and the patients often live far apart. The team has not received extra resources despite this challenge. As aconsequence, the employees waste many hours on the road.

Accordingly, the team decided to carry out some of thepatient contact via iPad. With help from a software development firm, wecreated an app for iPad, which enabled us to have video contact with thepatient and simultaneously fill out cognitive worksheets.

At first, the team workers were hesitant but thepatients were very excited. All in all, we find that the usage of iPads hasevolved our treatment as well as made contact with the patients easier. On topof this, we are saving hours on the road.