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This study assessed the effect of a mentalisation-based therapy (MBT) treatment programme on the utilisation of Western Australian public hospitals for mental health presentations over an 18-month period. Hospital data included the number of visits to the emergency department (ED), the number of inpatient admissions to hospital and length of stay of the admissions. Participants included 76 adolescents aged 13-17 years old, who presented with borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits. The Touchstone treatment programme is a time-limited intensive programme that utilises MBT in the context of a therapeutic community. Hospital data for the participants were collected and analysed from three time points; 6 months prior to attending the programme, during the 6-month programme (active treatment) and 6 months after the programme. Results found a statistically significant decrease in hospital utilisation from pre to post programme, with a decline in ED visits, inpatient admissions and admission length of stay. This study presents promising preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of an intensive MBT programme as an intervention for adolescents with BPD features and has significant implications for the public health system in terms of providing effective community-based treatment for this difficult to treat population as well as reducing pressure on tertiary care., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are at a substantial risk of harm to themselves and others, experience high levels of functional impairment and typically are high users of tertiary healthcare to address their mental health concerns. As indicators for BPD typically emerge in adolescence, a day therapy service in Bentley, Western Australia, Touchstone Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), was developed as an intensive intervention for adolescents with indicators for BPD and its associated symptomology. Touchstone utilizes mentalization-based therapy (MBT) in a therapeutic community setting, where the current study sought to document the anecdotal outcomes using the data provided at Touchstone, to enable a greater understanding of this treatment approach for adolescents with indicators for BPD., Method: Forty-six participants attended the Touchstone programme between 2015 and 2020. The programme involved 6 months of MBT (group and individual), occupational therapy, education and creative therapies. Measures of self-injury, mood and emergency department presentations were collected pre- and post-programme., Results: Results indicate that participants show a reduction in non-suicidal acts and thoughts, as well as a reduction in negative moods and feelings from pre-Touchstone to post-Touchstone. There is also a decrease in participant presentation to tertiary emergency departments for mental health concerns., Conclusions: The current study shows evidence for the efficacy of Touchstone as an MBT therapeutic community intervention to reduce symptoms of emerging BPD and effectively reduce presentations to emergency departments for mental health presentations, alleviating pressure on tertiary hospitals and reducing economic impact of adolescents within this demographic., (© 2023 The Authors. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Cardiac rehabilitation programs offer effective means to prevent recurrence of a cardiac event, but poor uptake of current programs have been reported globally. Home based models are considered as a feasible alternative to avoid various barriers related to care centre based programs. This paper sets out the study design for a clinical trial seeking to test the hypothesis that these programs can be better and more efficiently supported with novel Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)., Methods/design: We have integrated mobile phones and web services into a comprehensive home- based care model for outpatient cardiac rehabilitation. Mobile phones with a built-in accelerometer sensor are used to measure physical exercise and WellnessDiary software is used to collect information on patients' physiological risk factors and other health information. Video and teleconferencing are used for mentoring sessions aiming at behavioural modifications through goal setting. The mentors use web-portal to facilitate personal goal setting and to assess the progress of each patient in the program. Educational multimedia content are stored or transferred via messaging systems to the patients phone to be viewed on demand. We have designed a randomised controlled trial to compare the health outcomes and cost efficiency of the proposed model with a traditional community based rehabilitation program. The main outcome measure is adherence to physical exercise guidelines., Discussion: The study will provide evidence on using mobile phones and web services for mentoring and self management in a home-based care model targeting sustainable behavioural modifications in cardiac rehabilitation patients., Trial Registration: The trial has been registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) with number ACTRN12609000251224.