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FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED OUTCOMES IN THE FIRST PSYCHOTIC EPISODE AT A SPECIALIZED OUTPATIENT CLINIC IN NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL
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  • Isabela de Fatima Pina de Almeida,
  • Aldo Ferreira Castello Branco Vilar,
  • Benjamim Figueiredo Braga Pires Júnior,
  • Rodrigo Coelho Marques,
  • Leonardo Machado
Isabela de Fatima Pina de Almeida
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Faculdade de Medicina

Corresponding Author:bela_pina@hotmail.com

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Aldo Ferreira Castello Branco Vilar
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Faculdade de Medicina
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Benjamim Figueiredo Braga Pires Júnior
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Faculdade de Medicina
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Rodrigo Coelho Marques
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Faculdade de Medicina
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Leonardo Machado
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Faculdade de Medicina
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Abstract

Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate data from patients admitted to the first-episode psychotic (FEP) outpatient clinic at the Hospital of Clinics of the Federal University of Pernambuco from July 2018 to July 2021, seeking to identify factors related to better clinical outcomes. Methods: This study was conducted using a convenience sample, including all patients between 15 and 65 years of age who were admitted to the FEP outpatient clinic from July 2018 to July 2021. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed using mean and standard deviation or median and interquartile range for continuous quantitative variables, and absolute number/percentage for qualitative variables. Paired T-test, a parametric test, was used to compare PANSS scores upon admission and after 6 months. Spearman’s correlation test was employed to assess the correlation between duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and treatment response with other variables. Results: The sample consisted of 85.3% male individuals, with 50% of patients aged between 19-30 years, and 82% residing in the metropolitan area of Recife. Seventy percent of patients responded to the treatment implemented by the outpatient clinic, and only 30% required psychiatric hospitalization within 6 months of follow-up. The majority of patients had a history of psychoactive substance use (82.4%); however, the use of these substances did not impact the prognosis within the analyzed sample. The median DUP was 4 weeks, and a shorter DUP was associated with a lower probability of psychiatric hospitalization and a greater treatment response (reduction >50% in PANSS). Conclusion: A shorter DUP was associated with a lower likelihood of psychiatric hospitalization and a greater treatment response. Furthermore, the specialized early psychosis outpatient clinic itself appears to yield positive outcomes, as 70% of the treated patients exhibited a positive treatment response.
22 Aug 2023Submitted to Early Intervention in Psychiatry
22 Aug 2023Submission Checks Completed
22 Aug 2023Assigned to Editor
22 Aug 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
06 Sep 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
09 May 2024Editorial Decision: Accept