Reduction of medical hospitalizations in veterans with schizophrenia using home telehealth

Leah R Flaherty; Karin Daniels; Jim Luther; Gretchen L Haas; John Kasckow

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2017.05.024

Reduction of medical hospitalizations in veterans with schizophrenia using home telehealth

Psychiatry Res. 2017 Sep:255:153-155. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.05.024. Epub 2017 May 16.

Authors

Leah R Flaherty¹, Karin Daniels², Jim Luther³, Gretchen L Haas⁴, John Kasckow⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Carlow University, 3333 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States. Electronic address: [email protected].
² VISN 4 Center for Health Equity and Research, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, University Drive C, Pittsburgh, PA 15240, United States.
³ VISN 4 Mental Illness Research Education Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, University Drive C, Pittsburgh, PA 15240, United States.
⁴ VISN 4 Mental Illness Research Education Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, University Drive C, Pittsburgh, PA 15240, United States; University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States.
⁵ University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States; Beckley VA Medical Center, 200 Veterans Ave, Beckley, WV 25801, United States. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 28550756
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.05.024

Abstract

This study tested the hypothesis that addition of telehealth to Intensive Case Monitoring (ICM) would reduce hospital admissions in Veterans with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder admitted for psychiatric care in response to suicidal behavior. Participants (n =51) were randomized to ICM or ICM plus telehealth monitoring. Telehealth participants responded to daily electronic queries about depression, suicidality, and medication adherence. Comparisons revealed that participants in the telehealth group had significantly less medical hospitalizations than the control group. This study found that telehealth augmentation is related to decreased number and length of medical hospitalizations in Veterans with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

Keywords: Schizophrenia; Suicide; Telehealth.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

Adult
Female
Hospitalization / trends*
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Schizophrenia / diagnosis
Schizophrenia / therapy*
Schizophrenic Psychology*
Telemedicine / methods
Telemedicine / trends*
Veterans / psychology*