title: [Care across all phases of schizophrenia and initiation of treatment: discrepancy between routine practice and evidence. The SIEP-DIRECT'S Project].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the quality of psychiatric care in Italian community-based services and the discrepancy between real practices and NICE recommendations for the treatment of schizophrenia concerning the elements common to all phases of care and the first episode of psychosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data concerning 14 indicators on common aspects of care in all phases and 11 indicators concerning psychosis onset, drawn from NICE Recommendations, were collected in 19 Departments of Mental Health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An optimistic attitude seems to prevail in the staff in all phases of care, while remarkable discrepancies between service practice and recommendations have been found in relation to systematic assessment, availability of informative leaflets and support to relatives. Concerning the treatment of first episode, a lack of specific services and differentiated activities, and paucity of practices based on specific guidelines has been detected. However, Italian community based services proved to have a good capacity to provide help quickly to those seeking help for a psychotic onset, to maintain regular contact with them in the subsequent year, and provide pharmacological treatment reasonably in line with the scientific evidence. Instead, little specific support is provided to the relatives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results show critical points concerning capacity of assessment and treatment standardization, in all aspects of care and specifically in the treatment for the first episode. Differentiation of activities specifically dedicated to the patients at their first episode should be promoted as well as strategies to support relatives in a more specific way.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina e Sanità Pubblica, Sezione di Psichiatria e di Psicologia Clinica, Universitd di Verona, Verona. mirella.ruggeri@univr.it
authors.forename: Mirella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruggeri
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bacigalupi
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casacchia
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miceli
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morganti
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Scavo
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Allevi
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lupoi
authors.forename: Doriana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cristofalo
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lasalvia
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lora
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Semina
mesh_terms: D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000628:therapy*; D012955:Societies, Medical