Implementation of Flexible Assertive Community Treatment in a Swedish healthcare context

    Project: Research

    Project Details

    Popular science description

    In Sweden, there is currently an increased interest in the Flexible Assertive Community Treatment (Flexible ACT) model as a way to provide integrated services that better meet the needs of persons with severe mental illness. The Swedish Association of local Authorities and Regions has taken measures to stimulate the establishment of integrated care outreach services for persons with severe mental illness. One prioritized service model is the Flexible ACT model. In Flexible ACT, a multidisciplinary, recovery-oriented team provides individual case management and home visits for patients with severe mental illness (who are mostly stable). The team shares a caseload with patients in need of more intensive care and support. A study that aimed to identify facilitators and barriers to implementation of Flexible ACT in Sweden was initiated to investigate levels of program fidelity in newly established Flexible ACT teams, as well as to investigate client outcomes. Currently, ten psychiatric teams and 100 clients are included. Data include team leader interviews, fidelity assessments, and individual client data for 18-months of follow-up. We also conducted a grounded theory interview study of team member experiences of working with the Flexible ACT model. This analysis was recently submitted for publication.
    Preliminary results show that the main facilitator for Flexible ACT implementation is perception by staff and team leaders that Flexible ACT model work procedures result in improvements in quality of care and the psychosocial working environment. Knowledge of integrated treatment methods is another facilitator. All included teams reached good program fidelity by six-month follow-up. Our preliminary conclusion is that, with the right conditions in reorganization and working methods, a high fidelity Flexible ACT model can be implemented in a Swedish setting within a six-month period.
    StatusFinished
    Effective start/end date2014/03/102016/02/29