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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 April 2020
Lack of adherence to recommended treatment poses major clinical and economic challenges for psychiatry, and requires further study.
We aimed to prospectively investigate the association between the level of understanding of psychiatric emergency department (ED) discharge recommendations and presence of a companion with short term treatment adherence.
Sixty subjects were evaluated twice: upon ED discharge and a month later. Instruments included a structured questionnaire based on the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment, MMSE, and corroboration of data with the computerized hospital medical file.
There was a significant association between patient understanding and adherence with medication instructions (p< .01) and adherence to psychiatric follow-up (p< .05). There was also an association between the presence of a companion and adherence to medication instructions (x2(1)=7.0, p< .01).
Ensuring patients' understanding of treatment recommendations and encouraging the company of patients are achievable, practical strategies that may improve adherence and thereby promote better outcomes.
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