A cost-effectiveness study of a community-based family management rehabilitation programme for schizophrenic outpatients in Hong Kong: A six- month report

Abstract

Recent studies have consistently shown that behavioural family therapy (BFT) is effective in reducing the relapse rate of chronic schizophrenic patients by modifying the social environment in which patients live (Liberman et al, 1987). By changing the attitudes, stress level, teaching the attitudes, stress level, teaching the patients and their families in skills such as problem solving and communication, BFT aims at improving the coping abilities and the quality of life of all members of the family. The purpose of this study is to investigate the applicability and cost-effectiveness of BFT in the local context. 63 families have been randomly assigned into the behavioural family therapy group and the controlled group. The six-month preliminary result indicated that BFT increased family members' knowledge about the illness and maintained patients' level of psychosocial functioning.