Effectiveness of a multidisciplinary outreach intervention for individuals with severe mental illness in supported accommodation

PURPOSE: People living in supported accommodation often have complex care needs, including longer-term mental health illness and physical health comorbidities. Effective coordination between health and supported accommodation services is crucial to address these needs. However, evidence on the effectiveness of healthcare interventions in this setting remains limited. This study assesses the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary outreach intervention providing on-site healthcare for people living in supported accommodation on outcomes related to antipsychotic prescribing and physical co-morbidity.

METHODS: A mirror-image study was conducted to assess changes between pre- and post-service periods. Pre-index outcomes were collected as a cross-sectional measure in September 2020, and post-index outcomes were collected every six months until October 2022. People living at two supported accommodation services in the Capital Region of Denmark were included.

RESULTS: The study included 74 people living in supported accommodation with contact to a multidisciplinary outreach team. The introduction of a multidisciplinary outreach team had no significant effect on antipsychotic prescription patterns, including antipsychotic polypharmacy, high-dose regimens, and combinations with benzodiazepines. The physical health evaluations identified a notable number of participants with untreated or dysregulated physical illness.

CONCLUSIONS: This multidisciplinary outreach intervention for people living in supported accommodation had limited effect on antipsychotic prescribing patterns within the observation period. However, the outreach team identified and managed physical illness for a substantial portion of the study population, highlighting the importance of integrating physical health care into mental health interventions.