the effect of family-based Model education with telephone follow-up on drug Adherence and re-hospitalization of patients with mental disorders

 Introduction: Drug adherence plays an important role in reducing readmission of patients with mental disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of family-based empowerment education with telephone follow-up on drug adherence and readmission of patients with mental disorders. Method: This interventional study was performed on 66 patients with mental disorders and one of their family members. The study units were selected by available sampling method and randomly divided into intervention and control groups. Data collection tools were demographic information form and Madanloo drug adherence questionnaire. The intervention consisted of 8 training sessions based on the family-centered empowerment model with 3 months of telephone follow-up. Drug adherence and number of readmissions were measured before and after the intervention. Independent t-test, Chi-square, Wilcoxon and SPSS software version 22 were used for statistical analysis. Results: The two study groups were matched in terms of variables affecting the results. 3 months after the intervention, the results showed that drug adherence increased in the intervention group and independent t-test showed a significant difference (P <0.0001). In terms of the number of readmissions, the results showed that the number of readmissions decreased in the intervention group and Wilcoxon test showed a significant difference (P <0.0001). Conclusion: Empowerment through education enables the family to play a more effective role in managing the disease of its affected member. Using telephone follow-up after the educational intervention will help a lot in its effectiveness and continuity.