Connection Learning Healthcare System Hub of the Early Psychosis Intervention Network: Program and Participant...

Connection Learning Healthcare System, one of the eight hubs of the National Institute of Mental Health funded Early Psychosis Intervention Network, supports uniform data collection, analysis, feedback and infrastructure development to promote a culture of continuous quality improvement across 25 Coordinated Specialty Care programs serving young people experiencing first episode psychosis and their families in Maryland and Pennsylvania. This first report describes the hub and its constituent programs, the approach for developing and implementing a hub-wide core assessment battery harmonised with the national battery, and preliminary program and participant characteristics.

Our hub developed and implemented a computerised core assessment battery, administered every 6 months and developed an integrated system for managing and analysing data.

Between 1 January 2021 and 27 November 2023, 1059 participants were newly admitted to a hub program. The entire cohort (N = 1381) included newly admitted participants and those already in a program as of 1 January 2021. A total of 1245 complete assessment batteries were collected across all time points from 797 participants, with an additional 1920 partially completed batteries collected from 1319 participants. Data are uploaded to the National Data Coordinating Center, where our hub is the third largest data contributor. Descriptive information on programs and participants is provided.

As part of our learning healthcare system to improve clinical services and outcomes across two states, we have successfully implemented a standardised, computerised core assessment battery of essential characteristics and clinical outcomes. Successes, challenges and recommendations for data collection are provided. This paper will serve as a vital methodological resource for users of the unprecedented Early Psychosis Intervention Network national research database seeking to accelerate and improve early psychosis research.