MEDICATION INFORMATION FOR YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES

Med Ed is an innovative, youth-friendly resource that contains information about medicines used in the treatment of mental disorders. This tool was created to help youth and their caregivers exchange information about medication so they can make informed decisions about treatment.

Product

Med Ed is a unique set of tools designed to support the exchange of information related to psychotropic medications among youth, parents, caregivers, and health care professionals. The Med Ed resource has two components: a comprehensive booklet and a companion passport. These tools include valuable information about medications (including how they work, possible side effects, and interactions), answers to many frequently asked questions about these medications, and information related to youths’ rights related to medications.

Purpose

Psychotropic medications can play an integral role in treating many mental health problems. Youth, parents, caregivers, and professionals need access to information, tools, and resources in order to make informed decisions about medications. These resources have been designed to facilitate communication among the partners in care (e.g., patient/client, parent/caregiver, service provider), and to support collaborative decision making to improve treatment outcomes.

Background

The Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health at CHEO (the Centre), Dr. Stan Kutcher (Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health) and pharmacists Drs. Andrea Murphy and David Gardner (Dalhousie University) jointly developed Med Ed. The design and content was informed by consultations with stakeholders, a review of factors relevant to design, use and impact of patient/client information tools, and clinician/service provider experience. Med Ed is not intended to be a stand-alone tool but one that is accompanied by training. A train-the-trainer approach is being used wherein peer champions learn to use Med Ed, and then use this knowledge to train other service providers and colleagues in its use. Champions are being supported in their roles as trainers through provision of materials, information and guidance. The Med Ed project is currently in its pilot stage. The effectiveness and utility of these resources and the training process are being evaluated, and findings are being used to identify areas of growth and development.

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For information, contact the centre at 613-737-2297 or onthepoint@cheo.on.ca