Implementing illness management and recovery within assertive community treatment teams: A qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Services Research
• Psychiatric Rehabilitation
• Implementation Science

Background:

• Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is a model of care for individuals with serious mental illness.
• Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) is an evidence-based psychosocial intervention.
• Integrating IMR into ACT may enhance recovery outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of implementing IMR within ACT teams.
• To identify advantages, disadvantages, facilitators, and barriers to IMR implementation in ACT.
• To explore the fit between IMR and ACT models for the target population.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving 11 ACT teams.
• Semistructured interviews with 17 service users and 55 ACT staff.
• Inductive thematic analysis of interview transcripts and field notes.

Main Results:

• A positive fit exists between IMR and ACT models for the population served.
• Both individuals with serious mental illness and ACT staff reported benefits from IMR integration.
• Significant implementation barriers were encountered, but relationships and flexible approaches facilitated progress.

Conclusions:

• Implementing IMR within ACT is feasible and offers benefits, despite challenges.
• ACT teams should increase IMR integration to enhance recovery orientation.
• Future research should employ mixed-methods and focus on individualized recovery goals.