Virtual nurse support to enhance antipsychotic adherence in schizophrenia: A South African perspective
South African Journal of Psychiatry
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Virtual nurse support to enhance antipsychotic adherence in schizophrenia: A South African perspective | |
| Creator | Thandar, Yasmeen Mvunelo, Nomhle Singh, Deepak Haffejee, Firoza | |
| Description | Background: Patients with schizophrenia rely on antipsychotic medication, with adherence being critical for symptom management. Poor adherence leads to relapse, disability and increased healthcare costs.Aim: This study investigated the impact on antipsychotic adherence among schizophrenia patients on the introduction of an intervention utilising a psychiatric nurse as a virtual treatment buddy.Setting: Participants were recruited from a psychiatric clinic in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.Methods: This quantitative pre-test-post-test control group study recruited 117 schizophrenia patients. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 82) receiving daily text message support or a control group (n = 35) without support. Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires assessed medication adherence. The McNemar test compared medication cessation frequencies pre- and post-intervention. Pearson’s chi-squared test, factor analysis and linear regressions were employed to correlate variables. A p 0.05 was deemed statistically significant.Results: Adherence improved from 60.8% to 83.51% post-intervention (p 0.001). Obstacles to adherence, including inadequate disease knowledge, treatment duration, side effects, misunderstanding instructions and forgetfulness, were reduced post-intervention. Additionally, symptom relapse, rehospitalisation, specialist referrals, the need for more potent medication and employment loss decreased post-intervention.Conclusion: Virtual buddy support has demonstrated promise in improving medication adherence and minimising adverse effects of discontinuation among schizophrenia patients.Contribution: This study contributes a method to improving antipsychotic adherence and reducing negative outcomes in schizophrenia patients by emphasising personalised support, education and collaborative care among healthcare providers and support systems. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2025-05-31 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v31i0.2430 | |
| Source | South African Journal of Psychiatry; Vol 31 (2025); 9 pages 2078-6786 1608-9685 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/2430/3934
https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/2430/3935
https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/2430/3936
https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/2430/3937
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