Psychosis is a severe mental disorder, where people may experience strange or frightening experiences and can even lose touch with reality. There are between 2-3 new cases of psychosis per 1000 population in any year. Research evidence demonstrates that early intervention in first episode psychosis improves outcomes.
Understanding the nature of the illness and navigating mental health services can be a challenging experience, for patients and their carers. Healthcare professionals in primary care and non-mental health clinicians commonly have limited experience in its management.
The information in the PIER app will be useful for anyone interested in knowing more about psychosis and its current gold standard management. It will empower patients and the public with good quality evidence based information from reliable sources and from people in the front line of clinical care. Healthcare professionals will benefit by getting useful information at their fingertips. It can be helpful in setting up similar services and first episode psychosis care pathways, anywhere in the world.
The PIER app provides a single platform for patients and carers to learn more about the symptoms of psychosis and its management, particularly what to expect when under the PIER Team. There are helpful links which provide information about psychosis and related disorders. There are useful links to improve knowledge of therapeutic interventions, including medication used to treat psychosis and other psychosocial interventions, like cognitive behavioural therapy and family therapy. The app has information about the referral process, recovery and how to seek help in crises. There is focus on healthy lifestyle choices and physical health monitoring in severe mental illness.
For healthcare professionals, the app provides useful information about referral criteria to secondary care, what to look for in suspected psychosis and useful information on management, including the Care Planning Process. There are links providing information on Waiting Times and Access Standards, as set by the Department of Health in NHS England as well as NICE standards for the assessment and management of psychosis and schizophrenia.
There are helpful videos about the roles and responsibilities of different professionals in the service and physical health monitoring of patients in the service. This can also be accessed as readable information.
This is the first phase in the development of the app.