Pink van Veen, manager of the Vitalis WoonZorg Group [mainly for sheltered accommodation] and member of the ‘soundboard group

"believes that many mental health patients spend the whole day travelling to and fro for a single hour of treatment. They have to organise their whole life around this event. The project aims to address this situation, by offering part of the treatment in digital form. This will present clients with greater choice and more planning options. "

psplunteren@trimbos.nl

  

Intelligent ICT supports health practitioner and client

How can schizophrenics take charge of their lives? And how can health practitioners best help them to achieve this, using intelligent ICT? These are the key questions addressed in the project ‘Self-managing schizophrenia, using new media’.

  

Making an appointment with a health care practitioner … Seeking contact with fellow-sufferers … Keeping track of your medication … For people suffering from schizophrenia, these ‘simple’ tasks seem monumental. But not for long. With the help of a new website schizophrenics will soon be able to tap into an array of resources to help them regulate their care themselves. read more >>

The website is part of the new health care programme ‘Self-managing schizophrenia, using new media’ [Eigen regie bij Schizofrenie’]. Its purpose is to support the societal integration of schizophrenia sufferers, enabling them to gain more control over their lives. The programme is also aimed at the application of the multi-disciplinary guideline on schizophrenia, monitoring the health care for this condition, and encouraging outcome management. There will be an interactive platform (portal) with separate functions for clients and health professionals.

The multi-disciplinary guideline on schizophrenia has been integrated within the new application. Health practitioners who operate according to the guideline will automatically be adhering to the prevailing scientific precepts, protocols and standards. This is a major advantage for the further implementation of the guideline in daily practice.

The project ‘Self-managing schizophrenia, using new media’ is the result of collaboration between the Trimbos Institute, the mental health organisations GGZ Breburg, and GGZ Westelijk Noord-Brabant, the Julius Center for health sciences and Vital Health Software. In September 2009 the new application will be tested in three locations. In January 2010 its roll-out will be completed in the above two participating GGZ organisations. If the instrument proves effective, comparable applications will be developed for other mental health disorders, such as depression and personality disorders.

'Targeted support is badly needed'

"Project coordinator Peter van Splunteren explains that on account of their disorder, people with schizophrenia can lose everything. Furthermore they are dependent on medication, which can have annoying and even drastic side-effects. He hopes to be able to offer this client group better support with this project, helping them to function better in society. "