title: Assessment of Response to Providing Health-related Information in a Community Psychiatry Outpatient Setting.
abstract: The objective of this study was to assess the subjective responses of patient and staff to the provision of health-related information in an outpatient psychiatric clinic. Simple educational information on healthy eating, exercising, and smoking cessation was provided in the waiting area of a clinic over the course of a year. This information took the form of educational handouts, educational DVDs, and monthly "special events" such as a poster competition for smoking cessation. In addition, patients were given an opportunity to attend free nutritional counseling sessions. Also, when needed, staff assisted patients in making appointments with primary care physicians. At the end of the year, a survey was distributed to patients and staff to assess the perceived benefits of the initiative. The majority of the 79 patients who completed the survey (n=60, 76%) had used the information provided, 95% of whom (n=57) had made some behavioral change, with 13% of the total survey respondents indicating that they had quit smoking. Ninety percent of the surveyed providers (18/20) felt that the initiative had had a positive impact on their patients. These results suggest that simple, low cost health and wellness initiatives in conjunction with an enthusiastic expenditure of a relatively small amount of staff time have the potential to have a positive impact on individuals attending an outpatient psychiatric clinic.
authors.affiliation: PAWAR: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, and General Preventive Medicine Program, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD MOJTABAI and CULLEN: Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD GOLDMAN: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD BATKIS and MALLOY: Community Psychiatry Program, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Deepa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pawar
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mojtabai
authors.forename: Aviva
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goldman
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Batkis
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Malloy
authors.forename: Bernadette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cullen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010045:Outpatients; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior