Perceived Changes, Acceptability, and Preliminary Outcomes Associated with a Nurse-Led Medication Adherence Support...

Improving medication adherence in first-episode psychosis is a clinical priority. However, existing interventions have not provided a brief, adherence-focused delivery model, and the mechanisms through which these interventions work remain unclear. Nurse-led approaches are theoretically well suited to address these needs; however, such interventions have not been established. This study aimed to evaluate the perceived changes, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes associated with a nurse-led medication adherence support program for patients with first-episode psychosis and their families. A nurse-led medication adherence support program was implemented with 11 patient-family dyads. Qualitative interviews were conducted to explore perceived changes attributable to the interventions. Acceptability was assessed through satisfaction, and preliminary outcomes were assessed through medication adherence, attitudes, and beliefs about medication. Thematic analysis indicated that the program was associated with multifaceted changes in how patients and families perceived pharmacotherapy-centered care and family support. Quantitative findings showed high levels of acceptability among both patients and families. Pill counts, patient-rated medication adherence, and family-rated adherence showed no statistically significant changes across time points and remained at favorable levels. Among the measures of attitudes and beliefs about medication, only patients' drug attitude scores improved significantly at the 12-week follow-up, whereas the other measures remained unchanged over time. This pilot study suggests that a brief nurse-led medication adherence support program for patients with first-episode psychosis and their families is acceptable and warrants further evaluation in controlled studies.