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Purpose: Rural communities face specific challenges when attempting to implement evidence-based interventions, due to their size, distance from knowledge centers, and broad responsibility for the local population. The aim of this study was to investigate the utilization of an RPC (Research Practice Collaboration) initiative as a strategy for translation and implementation of EBPs in rural municipalities seeking to develop their services for individuals with serious mental illness., Materials and Methods: Following a broad invitation consisting of a presentation of the newly produced National Psychiatry Guidelines, to four northern regions in Sweden, four municipalities participated in an RPC process that focused on the implementation of specific EBPs., Results: In addition to confirming many of the challenges in rural areas, the participants reported that the RPC process helped them to understand the relevance of these methods to their own conditions and ambitions. They were able to recognize and build on their already existing strengths and achieve incremental steps toward EBPs., Discussion: The collaborative nature of the structure and knowledge dissemination, requiring extremely tailored implementation strategies while considering the essential components in relation to local conditions, led to increased readiness to implement these practices as locally relevant., Conclusion: Research practice collaborations may contribute to the implementation of EBPs in rural areas by increasing the accessibility and relevance of these methods in these challenging conditions. Identifying structures for sustainably supporting these types of collaborations is a challenge for national actors.

Objective: Supported education (SEd) provides individualized support to people with mental health problems to achieve their educational goals. Individual placement and support (IPS) has emerged as a model through which SEd may be efficiently delivered. However, the components and characteristics of educational support for these employment-focused services have not been fully explored. Building on earlier studies, we constructed a preliminary model of SEd components that integrated with the IPS model. The SEd model included the eight original principles of IPS, developed to reflect the SEd component, and two new principles were suggested. The aim of the study is to investigate these adapted principles by exploring the feasibility of applying them within established IPS programs providing both employment and educational services., Methods: An organizational learning approach was taken, involving five IPS programs providing both employment and educational services to young adults with mental health problems. Data were collected through focus groups, interviews, and workshops with 19 IPS specialists., Results: The results suggest that while the IPS principles provide a feasible and relevant structure for the development and provision of integrated services, adaptations that reflect the educational context were considered valuable when supporting young adults in pursuing their career-related goals., Conclusions and Implications for Practice: The respondents confirmed that the SEd principles and the focus on support in educational contexts helped them to further develop their knowledge and strategies. While challenging, integrating SEd in IPS models shows good potential for supporting young adults as they struggle to reach longer term career-oriented goals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Schizophrenia affects about 0.7 % of the population and is characterized by hallucinations, delusions and reduced functioning affecting the ability to study, work and socialize. Life expectancy for patients with schizophrenia is approximately 15-20 years shorter mostly due to cardiovascular disease. Stigmatization is  common despite the fact that it is a treatable disorder with a combination of medication and psychosocial interventions. Case management, psycho-education and supported employment are proven strategies, but less than half of individuals with schizophrenia are adequately treated. The National Board of Health and Welfare is currently launching updated National Guidelines (2018). The aim is to provide an overview of evidence-based interventions enabling patients with schizophrenia to live a fairly normal life. An evaluation has revealed that previous guidelines for antipsychotic medications have been satisfactorily implemented, but not those for psychosocial interventions. These will now be emphasized as »central recommendations« and will be followed up with specific indicators based on data from national registers.

Background: Despite the potential impact of shared decision making on users satisfaction with care and quality in health care decisions, there is a lack of knowledge and skills regarding how to work with shared decision making among health care providers., Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of three instruments that measure varied dimensions of shared decision making, based on self-reports by clients, in a Swedish community mental health context., Method: The study sample consisted of 121 clients with experience of community mental health care, and involved in a wide range of decisions regarding both social support and treatment. The questionnaires were examined for face and content validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability and construct validity., Results: The instruments displayed good face and content validity, satisfactory internal consistency and a moderate to good level of stability in test-retest reliability with fair to moderate construct correlations, in a sample of clients with serious mental illness and experience of community mental health services in Sweden., Conclusions: The questionnaires are considered to be relevant to the decision making process, user-friendly and appropriate in a Swedish community mental health care context. They functioned well in settings where non-medical decisions, regarding social and support services, are the primary focus. The use of instruments that measure various dimensions of the self-reported experience of clients, can be a key factor in developing knowledge of how best to implement shared decision making in mental health services.

Background: Shared decision-making (SDM) is an emergent research topic in the field of mental health care and is considered to be a central component of a recovery-oriented system. Despite the evidence suggesting the benefits of this change in the power relationship between users and practitioners, the method has not been widely implemented in clinical practice., Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate decisional and information needs among users with mental illness as a prerequisite for the development of a decision support tool aimed at supporting SDM in community-based mental health services in Sweden., Methods: Three semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with 22 adult users with mental illness. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using a directed content analysis. This method was used to develop an in-depth understanding of the decisional process as well as to validate and conceptually extend Elwyn et al.'s model of SDM., Results: The model Elwyn et al. have created for SDM in somatic care fits well for mental health services, both in terms of process and content. However, the results also suggest an extension of the model because decisions related to mental illness are often complex and involve a number of life domains. Issues related to social context and individual recovery point to the need for a preparation phase focused on establishing cooperation and mutual understanding as well as a clear follow-up phase that allows for feedback and adjustments to the decision-making process., Conclusions and Implications for Practice: The current study contributes to a deeper understanding of decisional and information needs among users of community-based mental health services that may reduce barriers to participation in decision-making. The results also shed light on attitudinal, relationship-based, and cognitive factors that are important to consider in adapting SDM in the mental health system.

Objective: Although there has been an emphasis on developing knowledge regarding recovery in Sweden, it is unclear to what extent this has been translated into a recovery orientation in the provision of mental health services. Instruments, which present the components of recovery as measurable dimensions of change, may provide a framework for program development. Involving users is an essential factor in the utilization of such tools. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Recovery Self-Assessment (RSA) measure and its potential for being utilized in a Swedish context., Methods: The sample consisted of 78 participants from 6 community mental health services targeting people with serious mental illnesses in a municipality in Sweden. They completed the RSA at the study baseline and two weeks later. User panels participated in the translation and administration of the RSA and the reporting of results., Results: The Swedish version of the RSA had good face and content validity, satisfactory internal consistency, and a moderate to good level of stability in test-retest reliability. The user panels contributed to establishing validity and as collaborators in the study., Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Establishing the RSA as a valid and reliable instrument with which to focus on the recovery orientation of services is a first step in beginning to study the types of interventions that may effect and contribute to recovery oriented practice in Sweden., ((c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).)

Background: Recovery is understood to be an individual process that cannot be controlled, but can be supported and facilitated at the individual, organizational and system levels. Standardized measures of recovery may play a critical role in contributing to the development of a recovery-oriented system. The INSPIRE measure is a 28-item service user-rated measure of recovery support. INSPIRE assesses both the individual preferences of the user in the recovery process and their experience of support from staff., Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the INSPIRE measure, for potential use in Swedish mental health services and in order to promote recovery in mental illness., Method: The sample consisted of 85 participants from six community mental health services targeting people with a diagnosis of psychosis in a municipality in Sweden. For the test-retest evaluation, 78 participants completed the questionnaire 2 weeks later., Results: The results in the present study indicate that the Swedish version of the INSPIRE measure had good face and content validity, satisfactory internal consistency and some level of instability in test-retest reliability., Conclusions: While further studies that test the instrument in a larger and more diverse clinical context are needed, INSPIRE can be considered a relevant and feasible instrument to utilize in supporting the development of a recovery-oriented system in Sweden.