[Types of Care for Adult Patients Diagnosed With Acute and Maintenance Phase Schizophrenia]

Abstract

Objectives: To assist the clinician in making decisions about the types of care available for adults with schizophrenia. To determine which are the modalities of treatment associated with better outcomes in adults with schizophrenia.

Methods: A clinical practice guideline was elaborated under the parameters of the Methodological Guide of the Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social to identify, synthesize and evaluate the evidence and make recommendations about the treatment and follow-up of adult patients with schizophrenia. The evidence of NICE guide 82 was adopted and updated. The evidence was presented to the Guideline Developing Group and recommendations, employing the GRADE system, were produced.

Results: Patients who were in Assertive community treatment had a lower risk of new hospitalizations. For the intensive case management, the results favored this intervention in the outcomes: medium term readmissions, social functioning and satisfaction with services. The crisis resolution teams was associated with better outcomes on outcomes of readmissions, social functioning and service satisfaction in comparison with standard care.

Conclusion: The use of different modalities of care leads to the need of a comprehensive approach to patients to reduce the overall disability associated with the disease. Evidence shows overall benefit for most outcomes studied without encountering hazards for health of patients. This evaluation is recommended to use the professional ways of providing health services that are community-based and have a multidisciplinary group. It is not recommended the modality "day hospital" during the acute phase of schizophrenia in adults.

Keywords: Antipsychotics; Assertive community treatment; Atención asertiva comunitaria; Clinical Practice Guidelines; Esquizofrenia; Guía de práctica clínica; Hospital día, Equipos de salud mental comunitaria; Intensive care management; Manejo intensivo de caso; Modalidades de atención; Modalities of treatment; Schizophrenia.