Implementation of a clozapine clinical toolkit at the Dubé Centre for Mental Health: An assessment of nursing confidence and knowledge
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14288/cjur.v6i2.194856Abstract
Introduction: Clozapine is the most effective antipsychotic drug and the only approved pharmacotherapy for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Despite this, there are many barriers to its use, including life-threatening adverse effects such as agranulocytosis and myocarditis. Another barrier is a lack of health professional confidence and knowledge related to clozapine, which may stem from inadequate or limited clozapine-related training. A standardized, evidence-based protocol to care for patients on clozapine may improve healthcare providers’ knowledge and confidence when caring for patients on clozapine. A clozapine Clinical Toolkit (CTK) was developed and implemented in Vancouver, British Columbia, and, with permission, was adapted for use at the Dubé Centre for Mental Health (DCMH). Prior to the CTK being used by nursing staff at the DCMH, small group education sessions were held to assess nurse’s current knowledge and confidence regarding clozapine, as well as to provide education on clozapine and the CTK. The education sessions used components of the CTK to assist in educating nursing staff on clozapine. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of the education sessions on nurses’ confidence and knowledge related to clozapine.
Methods: Groups of one to five nurses at the DCMH were provided mixed-media education sessions on clozapine. Sessions were led by one or two researchers and lasted between 15 to 20 minutes. Pre- and post-education questionnaires were administered to assess nurses’ knowledge and confidence related to clozapine. Questionnaire completion was voluntary and anonymous. The results were analyzed using simple summary statistics.
Results & Conclusion: The pre-education questionnaire was completed by 81 nurses, and the post-education questionnaire was completed by 80 nurses. The small group, mixed-media education sessions improved nursing knowledge on three out of five clozapine knowledge-based questions, and overall enhanced nurses’ self-reported confidence related to clozapine.
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