DJ's Choices: a family matter: An approach to help family in supporting their love one with treatment adherence.

Poster A116, Monday, October%208, 11:30%20am%20-%201:00%20pm, Essex%20Ballroom

Marie-France Demers1, Claudia Lévesque2, Julie Bouchard2, Lysanne Gauthier2, Hélène Viau2, Marc-André Roy2,3,4, Julie Bourbeau2; 1Faculté de pharmacie, Université Laval, Québec, PQ, Canada, 2CNDV/IUSMQ/CIUSSS-CN, Québec, PQ, Canada, 3Centre de recherche CERVO, Québec, PQ, Canada, 4Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, PQ, Canada

Family support is known to improve adherence. However, there are very few clinical tools specifically adapted for families to support their relatives in treatment adherence. We have previously (2010) developed an original program to guide health care providers (HCP) to facilitate patients’ groups on adherence support that integrates psycho educational, cognitive-behavioural and motivational approaches. While this program, entitled “The DJ’s choices”, was originally created for HCP to facilitate discussions with patients, we have since developed a French (2014) and then an English version (2018) aimed at families, “DJ’s choices; a family matter”. This video material was developed around patients’ and parents’ testimonies and supported by HCPs’ inputs. It promotes shared decision making in choosing an antipsychotic. It is accompanied by a booklet containing comprehensive information adapted for families. Six chapters review basic notions on the illness, relapse prevention, treatment efficacy and side effects, influences of self and family’ believes, stigma and perceptions on initial medication acceptance and long term adherence. Use of video testimonies of patients or family members to witness their own experience with treatment and their struggle with non-adherence as well as youth friendly presentation and adapted accessible content may contribute to facilitate discussions in families. This initiative gathered a multi-disciplinary team including social workers, psychologists, nurses, occupational therapist, doctors and pharmacists from our early-intervention team who shared approaches to acknowledge patients’ and families’ perception as well as tips around medication adherence in order to promote and support the importance of family in medication treatment adherence.

Topic Area: Psychopharmacology

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