Bipolar Patient Readmission Interventions

DNP Project

Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental condition that is marked by depressive and/or manic symptoms/episodes (Jann, 2014). According to the author, the said condition can occur in early childhood but mainly affects adults with a prevalence rate of 4%. Further, the author suggests that bipolar disorder is characterized by a series of irregular recurrences. These recurrent episodes of bipolar disorder negatively impact functioning, quality of life and overall health status of patients (Jann, 2014). According to Miklowitz and Gitlin (2014), a patient with bipolar disorder may experience hypomania or mania. In essence, a bipolar patient could in some instances feel unusually irritable, and in other scenarios be full of energy. This could have a significant impact on such a patient’s relationships as well as their general wellbeing. Previous studies conducted on bipolar disorder indicate that the recurrence of depression in bipolar patients could be as high as 21% (Jann, 2014). Therefore, it would be prudent to note that recurrence is a major problem among patients with bipolar – essentially meaning that those discharged from hospital are in most cases readmitted for the very same mental health issue. For this reason, it is important to come-up with ways of dealing with recurrent nature of the said disorder. This could be accomplished in various formats.

Southmade Clinic, like many other mental health institutions, has a rather high bipolar patient readmission rate. For instance, available institutional records indicate that among the three most common mental health issues that the institution mainly concerns itself with, bipolar disorder happens to have the highest admission rate of 19%. The other two mental health issues are major depressive disorder and schizophrenia, with both having readmission rates of 9% and 11% respectively. It would be prudent to note that Southmade Clinic happens to be multicultural health center with healthcare providers drawn from diverse backgrounds. It also serves a cosmopolitan society with a population of approximately 90,000 persons. Most of those presenting at the clinic with bipolar symptoms happen to be woman aged between 14 and 35 years old. Southmade Clinic’s mission happens to be the provision of a holistic environment that is ideal for mental health patients in their journey towards recovery. On the other hand, the clinic’s stated vision is to be a premier mental health center and resource. In seeking to accomplish its mandate, the clinic is guided by four core values. These are clinical expertise, care, dedication, and integrity.

The DNP project seeks to benefit the entire community and more specifically, patients who present with bipolar disorder symptoms. It will essentially advance better outcomes for all those treated and discharged from the facility. This is more so the case given that the goal in this case happens to be reduction in readmission rates.

The fluctuating, chronic and dynamic nature of bipolar disorder has led to challenges related to the management the said disorder throughout the life of patients – especially following discharge from healthcare institutions (Jann, 2014). Therefore, the DNP project will be beneficial in efforts to deal with recurrent nature of bipolar disorder. Through the implementation of the various strategies to reign in high readmission rates, the quality of life of individual patients will be significantly improved. The strategies to be deployed will be highlighted in later stages of the project. Available literature suggests that in addition to the various pharmacological and behavioral interventions, improving quality of life for patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder and enhancing their coping abilities leads to reduction in healthcare costs and a decrease in other adverse individual-specific outcomes.