title: A clinical communication tool for the assessment of psychotropic medication side effects.
abstract: The primary aim was to assess usability of the My Medicines and Me Questionnaire (M3Q) as a self-reported questionnaire for mental health patients to subjectively express side effects experienced with their psychotropic medications. The secondary aim was to evaluate patients' attitudes towards treatment and psychotropic medications following dialogue with their clinicians about side effects. Questionnaires were administered at six adult mental health facilities. A total of 205 participants were divided into intervention (facilitated dialogue) and non-intervention groups (no facilitated dialogue). The mean completion time for the M3Q was 15min (SD=6.5) with only 11 (5%) patients requiring assistance. The most commonly reported side effect was sedation (77%) and weight gain was ranked as the most bothersome (23%). The previously validated M3Q provided patients with the opportunity to express the impact these effects had on their lives. Side effects were the most common reason given for non-adherence. There were no significant changes in patient attitudes towards treatment and medications in the intervention group, mainly due to the logistical challenges in the clinicians' ability to view the questionnaire for the subsequent meeting with the patient. The M3Q demonstrated its usability in allowing patients to easily express their subjective experiences with side effects.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Pharmacology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia. Electronic address: deena.ashoorian@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Deena
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ashoorian
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Pharmacology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia; North Metropolitan Health Service Mental Health, Mt Hawthorn, WA 6016, Australia.
authors.forename: Rowan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.affiliation: North Metropolitan Health Service Mental Health, Mt Hawthorn, WA 6016, Australia; School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia; School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rock
authors.affiliation: North Metropolitan Health Service Mental Health, Mt Hawthorn, WA 6016, Australia; School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Milan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dragovic
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Pharmacology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Rhonda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Clifford
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects*; D057566:Self Report; D063189:Symptom Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D015430:Weight Gain
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs
keywords: Adherence; Adverse reactions; Antipsychotics; Questionnaires