title: A nurse-led, needs-based psycho-education intervention for Chinese patients with first-onset mental illness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To shorten the waiting time for psychiatric treatment, nurse-led services may help in the first-line mental health consultation and interventions for patients with recent first onset of mental illness.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The study evaluated the effectiveness of a six-session nurse-led, needs-based psycho-education program for Chinese patients with mental health problems newly referred to an outpatient clinic in Hong Kong, when compared with routine outpatient care.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomized controlled trial with a pre- and post-test, control group design was conducted. Seventy-nine patients were randomly assigned to either the nurse-led psycho-education program (N = 39), or to usual psychiatric outpatient care (N = 40). Multiple patient outcomes and services utilization were measured at recruitment and 2 weeks after the intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of a multivariate analysis of variance test indicated that the psycho-education group had significantly greater improvements in mental and overall health status, insights into their treatment and illness, and hospitalization rates at the post-test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings provide evidence that nurse-led, needs-based psycho-education can improve mental health, self-efficacy and insights into mental illness in Chinese first-onset mentally ill patients. A future multi-center controlled trial of this nurse-led intervention is recommended.
authors.affiliation: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wai-Tong
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Chien
authors.forename: Sau-Fong
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Cecilia Sk
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Chu
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing*; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D011613:Psychotherapy