Objective: Although antipsychotic medications are considered first-line treatment for psychosis, rates of discontinuation and nonadherence are high, and debate persists about their use. This pilot study aimed to explore the usability, feasibility, and potential impact of a shared decision making (SDM) intervention, the Antipsychotic Medication Decision Aid (APM-DA), for decisions about use of antipsychotic medications.
Methods: A pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted with 17 participants in a first-episode psychosis program. Nine participants received the APM-DA, and eight received usual care.
Results: After their appointments, intervention group participants had less decisional conflict and greater satisfaction with decisions than control group participants had. Use of the APM-DA did not increase appointment length. Comparison of the intervention outcomes with the control outcomes was limited because of the small sample.
Conclusions: The results support the feasibility and usability of an SDM process via the use of the APM-DA in routine community psychosis care.
Keywords: Antipsychotic medications; Decision aid; Psychosis; Randomized controlled trial; Schizophrenia; Shared decision making.