For people in mental health crisis, acute day units (ADUs) provide daily structured sessions and peer support in non-residential settings, often as an addition or alternative to crisis resolution teams (CRTs). There is little recent evidence about outcomes for those using ADUs, particularly compared with those receiving CRT care alone.

We aimed to investigate readmission rates, satisfaction and well-being outcomes for people using ADUs and CRTs.

We conducted a cohort study comparing readmission to acute mental healthcare during a 6-month period for ADU and CRT participants. Secondary outcomes included satisfaction (Client Satisfaction Questionnaire), well-being (Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale) and depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale).

We recruited 744 participants (ADU: n = 431, 58%; CRT: n = 312, 42%) across four National Health Service trusts/health regions. There was no statistically significant overall difference in readmissions: 21% of ADU participants and 23% of CRT participants were readmitted over 6 months (adjusted hazard ratio 0.78, 95% CI 0.54–1.14). However, readmission results varied substantially by setting. At follow-up, ADU participants had significantly higher Client Satisfaction Questionnaire scores (2.5, 95% CI 1.4–3.5, P < 0.001) and well-being scores (1.3, 95% CI 0.4–2.1, P = 0.004), and lower depression scores (−1.7, 95% CI −2.7 to −0.8, P < 0.001), than CRT participants.

Patients who accessed ADUs demonstrated better outcomes for satisfaction, well-being and depression, and no significant differences in risk of readmission, compared with those who only used CRTs. Given the positive outcomes for patients, and the fact that ADUs are inconsistently provided in the National Health Service, their value and place in the acute care pathway needs further consideration and research.

This study compared the level of education and tests from multiple cognitive domains as proxies for cognitive reserve.

The participants were educationally, ethnically, and cognitively diverse older adults enrolled in a longitudinal aging study. We examined independent and interactive effects of education, baseline cognitive scores, and MRI measures of cortical gray matter change on longitudinal cognitive change.

Baseline episodic memory was related to cognitive decline independent of brain and demographic variables and moderated (weakened) the impact of gray matter change. Education moderated (strengthened) the gray matter change effect. Non-memory cognitive measures did not incrementally explain cognitive decline or moderate gray matter change effects.

Episodic memory showed strong construct validity as a measure of cognitive reserve. Education effects on cognitive decline were dependent upon the rate of atrophy, indicating education effectively measures cognitive reserve only when atrophy rate is low. Results indicate that episodic memory has clinical utility as a predictor of future cognitive decline and better represents the neural basis of cognitive reserve than other cognitive abilities or static proxies like education.

Evaluation of a mandatory immunization program to increase and sustain high immunization coverage for healthcare personnel (HCP).

Descriptive study with before-and-after analysis.

Tertiary-care academic medical center.

Medical center HCP.

A comprehensive mandatory immunization initiative was implemented in 2 phases, starting in July 2014. Key facets of the initiative included a formalized exemption review process, incorporation into institutional quality goals, data feedback, and accountability to support compliance.

Both immunization and overall compliance rates with targeted immunizations increased significantly in the years after the implementation period. The influenza immunization rate increased from 80% the year prior to the initiative to >97% for the 3 subsequent influenza seasons (P < .0001). Mumps, measles and varicella vaccination compliance increased from 94% in January 2014 to >99% by January 2017, rubella vaccination compliance increased from 93% to 99.5%, and hepatitis B vaccination compliance from 95% to 99% (P < .0001 for all comparisons). An associated positive effect on TB testing compliance, which was not included in the mandatory program, was also noted; it increased from 76% to 92% over the same period (P < .0001).

Thoughtful, step-wise implementation of a mandatory immunization program linked to professional accountability can be successful in increasing immunization rates as well as overall compliance with policy requirements to cover all recommended HCP immunizations.

To explore, from the perspectives of adolescents and caregivers, and using qualitative methods, influences on adolescent diet and physical activity in rural Gambia.

Six focus group discussions (FGD) with adolescents and caregivers were conducted. Thematic analysis was employed across the data set.

Rural region of The Gambia, West Africa.

Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Four FGD, conducted with forty adolescents, comprised: girls aged 10–12 years; boys aged 10–12 years; girls aged 15–17 years, boys aged 15–17 years. Twenty caregivers also participated in two FGD (mothers and fathers).

All participants expressed an understanding of the association between salt and hypertension, sugary foods and diabetes, and dental health. Adolescents and caregivers suggested that adolescent nutrition and health were shaped by economic, social and cultural factors and the local environment. Adolescent diet was thought to be influenced by: affordability, seasonality and the receipt of remittances; gender norms, including differences in opportunities afforded to girls, and mother-led decision-making; cultural ceremonies and school holidays. Adolescent physical activity included walking or cycling to school, playing football and farming. Participants felt adolescent engagement in physical activity was influenced by gender, seasonality, cultural ceremonies and, to some extent, the availability of digital media.

These novel insights into local understanding should be considered when formulating future interventions. Interventions need to address these interrelated factors, including misconceptions regarding diet and physical activity that may be harmful to health.

This presentation will describe a prospective study, due to commence in March 2010, to evaluate the use of Protected Engagement Time in adult acute inpatient wards in three mental health trusts in England.

Patients on acute psychiatric wards in the UK have recurrently reported that they are unhappy with the ward environment, that they are bored and have little to do, that wards are intimidating, and above all, that contact between staff and patients is often identified as too limited in both quantity and quality, and as lacking therapeutic content.

Protected Engagement Time (PET) has emerged as a promising initiative for improving quantity and usefulness of staff-patient contact. During fixed periods of the day, staff are asked to focus solely on patient contact, and are relieved of their administrative duties. However, we do not have any evidence about whether it works or how it should be implemented to achieve the best results.

This study aims to address this lack of evidence and will have three components:

1. a) A national survey investigating how widespread PET now is in England

2. b) Evaluation of the effects of PET on patients and staff by comparing 12 wards with PET and 12 wards without, by investigating staff-patient interactions, patient satisfaction, staff burnout and perceptions of the ward environment.

3. c) In-depth qualitative case studies on three wards with PET.

The objectives for each component and the measures used will be described in detail in the presentation, in addition to an update of study progress.

To advance the quality of mental healthcare in Europe by developing guidance on implementing quality assurance.

We performed a systematic literature search on quality assurance in mental healthcare and the 522 retrieved documents were evaluated by two independent reviewers (B.J. and J.Z.). Based on these evaluations, evidence tables were generated. As it was found that these did not cover all areas of mental healthcare, supplementary hand searches were performed for selected additional areas. Based on these findings, fifteen graded recommendations were developed and consented by the authors. Review by the EPA Guidance Committee and EPA Board led to two additional recommendations (on immigrant mental healthcare and parity of mental and physical healthcare funding).

Although quality assurance (measures to keep a certain degree of quality), quality control and monitoring (applying quality indicators to the current degree of quality), and quality management (coordinated measures and activities with regard to quality) are conceptually distinct, in practice they are frequently used as if identical and hardly separable. There is a dearth of controlled trials addressing ways to optimize quality assurance in mental healthcare. Altogether, seventeen recommendations were developed addressing a range of aspects of quality assurance in mental healthcare, which appear usable across Europe. These were divided into recommendations about structures, processes and outcomes. Each recommendation was assigned to a hierarchical level of analysis (macro-, meso- and micro-level).

There was a lack of evidence retrievable by a systematic literature search about quality assurance of mental healthcare. Therefore, only after further topics and search had been added it was possible to develop recommendations with mostly medium evidence levels.

Evidence-based graded recommendations for quality assurance in mental healthcare were developed which should next be implemented and evaluated for feasibility and validity in some European countries. Due to the small evidence base identified corresponding to the practical obscurity of the concept and methods, a European research initiative is called for by the stakeholders represented in this Guidance to improve the educational, methodological and empirical basis for a future broad implementation of measures for quality assurance in European mental healthcare.

Optimal management of schizophrenia in adolescents is limited by the lack of available therapies. The efficacy and tolerability of aripiprazole was investigated in this patient population.

This 6-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial was conducted at 101 international centers, with a safety monitoring board. 13-17 year-olds with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia were randomized to placebo, or a fixed dose of aripiprazole 10 mg or 30 mg reached after a 5 or 11 day titration, respectively. The primary endpoint was mean change from baseline on the PANSS Total score at week 6. Secondary endpoints included the PANSS Positive and Negative subscales, and CGI Improvement score. Tolerabilility assessements included frequency and severity of adverse events, as well as blood chemistries, metabolic parameters and weight gain.

Over 85% of 302 patients completed this study. Both 10 mg and 30 mg doses were superior to placebo on the primary endpoint (PANSS total), with significant differences observed as early as Week 1 (30mg). Both doses showed significant improvement on the PANSS Positive and CGI-I scales; and the 10 mg dose group was superior on PANSS Negative score. Approximately 5% of aripiprazole patients discontinued due to AEs. Weight gain and changes in prolactin were minimal.

10mg and 30mg doses of aripiprazole were superior to placebo in the treatment of adolescents with schizophrenia. Aripiprazole was well tolerated, in general, with few discontinuations due to AEs. EPS was the most common AE. Change in body weight was similar to placebo.

There is limited published data from long-term pediatric bipolar clinical trials with which to guide appropriate treatment decisions. Long-term efficacy and safety of aripiprazole was investigated in this patient population.

296 youths, ages 10-17 year-old with a DSM-IV diagnosis of bipolar I disorder were randomized to receive either placebo or aripiprazole (10mg or 30mg) in a 4-week double-blind trial. Completers continued assigned treatments for an additional 26 weeks (double-blind). Efficacy endpoints included mean change from baseline to week 4 and week 30 on the Young Mania Rating Scale; Children's Global Assessment Scale, Clinical Global Impressions-Bipolar version severity scale, General Behavior Inventory, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders Rating Scale, and time to discontinuation. Tolerability/safety assessments included incidence and severity of AEs, blood chemistries and metabolic parameters.

Over the 30-week course of double-blind treatment, aripiprazole (10 mg and 30 mg) was superior to placebo as early as week 1 (p< 0.002) and at all scheduled visits from week 2 through week 30 on mean change from baseline in the Y-MRS total score (p<.0001; all visits). Significant improvements were observed on multiple endpoints including the CGAS, GBI, CGI-BP, ADHD-RS-IV total score, time to discontinuation, and response and remission rates. The 3 most common AEs were somnolence, extrapyramidal disorder, and fatigue. Mean change in body weight z-scores over 30 weeks was not clinically significant.

Over 30-weeks of treatment, both doses of aripiprazole were superior to placebo in the long term treatment of pediatric bipolar patients. Aripiprazole was generally well tolerated.

The Health Utilities Index-Mark 2 (HUI2), a generic instrument for assessing health status, is an important effectiveness input for pharmacoeconomic modelling. It has not previously been used in patients with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

To use HUI2 to assess health utility in patients aged 6–17 years with ADHD receiving the prodrug stimulant lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX).

SPD489-325 was a 7-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of LDX, with osmotic-release oral system methylphenidate (OROSMPH) as a reference treatment. Patients’ parents or guardians completed HUI2 questionnaires at baseline and weeks 4 and 7. Utilities were estimated for treatment responders and non-responders, with response defined as a Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) score of 1 or 2, or a ≥25% or ≥30% reduction in ADHD Rating Scale IV (ADHD-RS-IV) total score.

Of 336 patients randomized, 317 were included in the full analysis set (LDX, n=104; OROS-MPH, n=107; placebo, n=106) and 196 completed the study. At endpoint, mean HUI2 utility scores across all treatment groups were higher for responders than non-responders when response was based on CGI-I score (responders: 0.896 [SD, 0.0990]; non-responders: 0.838 [0.1421]), on a ≥25% reduction in ADHD-RS-IV score from baseline (responders, 0.899 [0.0969]; non-responders, 0.809 [0.1474]), or on a ≥30% reduction in ADHD-RS-IV score from baseline (responders, 0.902 [0.0938]; non-responders 0.814 [0.1477]).

The HUI2 instrument is sensitive to treatment response in the child and adolescent ADHD patient population. Health utilities generated using HUI2 are therefore suitable for cost effectiveness evaluations of ADHD medications.

Supported by funding from Shire

The Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale–Parent Report (WFIRS-P) is an ADHD-specific instrument comprising 50 items, grouped into six domains. Parents score each item on a Likert scale (0–3 or not applicable).

To evaluate functional impairment using the WFIRS-P in two phase 3 studies (SPD489-325 and SPD489-326) of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX) in children and adolescents with ADHD.

Patients’ parents or guardians completed WFIRS-P assessments at baseline, and weeks 4 and 7 of SPD489-325, a 7-week, randomized, placebo controlled trial incorporating a reference treatment (osmotic-release oral system methylphenidate; OROS-MPH). Statistical comparison of LDX versus OROS-MPH was not pre-specified. In SPD489-326, WFIRS-P assessments were performed in the ≥26-week open-label period and the subsequent 6-week randomized-withdrawal period.

In SPD489-325, statistically significant placebo-adjusted effects of LDX were observed in WFIRS-P total score (effect size, 0.924; p<0.001) and in Family, Learning and School, Social Activities and Risky Activities; OROS-MPH effects were significant in total score (effect size 0.772; p<0.001) and in all domains. In SPD489-326, scores were improved or stable in the open-label period. In the randomized-withdrawal period, total score and all domain scores were stable in the LDX group, but worsened in the placebo group. LDX was significantly more effective than placebo in Family, Learning and School, Risky Activities and in total score (effect size, 0.908; p<0.001).

Short-term treatment with LDX or OROS-MPH led to improved functional impairment scores. These benefits were maintained during long-term LDX treatment, and scores declined following treatment withdrawal.

Supported by funding from Shire.

GXR, a selective α2A-adrenergic agonist, is a non-stimulant treatment for ADHD (approved in the USA for children and adolescents and in Canada for children).

To assess the efficacy (symptoms and function) and safety of dose-optimized GXR compared with placebo in children and adolescents with ADHD.

To evaluate the efficacy (symptom and function) and safety of GXR for the treatment of ADHD. An atomoxetine (ATX) arm was included to provide reference data against placebo (NCT01244490).

Patients (6–17 years) were randomly assigned at baseline to dose-optimized GXR (6–12 years, 1–4 mg/day; 13–17 years, 1–7 mg/day), ATX (10–100mg/day) or placebo for 4 or 7 weeks. The primary efficacy measure is change from baseline in ADHD-Rating Scale-version IV (ADHD-RS-IV). Key secondary measures were defined as Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) and the Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale-Parent (WFIRS-P). Safety assessments included treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), electrocardiograms, and vital signs.

Of 338 patients randomized, 272 (80.5%) completed the study. Placebo-adjusted differences in least squares (LS) mean in ADHD-RS-IV total score, percent improvement versus placebo for CGI-I, placebo-adjusted differences in LS mean change from baseline in WFIRS-P score (family and learning and school domains) are shown in the Table. The most common TEAEs for GXR were somnolence, headache, and fatigue; 8 (7%) TEAEs were severe.

GXR was effective and well tolerated in children and adolescents with ADHD.