Evaluating the Feasibility and Effects of PARTNER-MH on Minority Patients’ Communication: Presenter(s): Johanne Eliacin, Roudebush VA Medical Center, United States

Unproductive patient-provider communication, marked by low patient communication self-efficacy and lack of participation in treatment decision-making, is a key driver of healthcare disparities for racial and ethnic minority groups. PARTNER-MH, a 6-month peer support and patient navigation intervention, was designed to improve minority patients’ communication self-efficacy. We examined feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of PARTNER-MH with minority patients in a pilot randomized controlled trial, at a large Veterans Affairs Medical Center outpatient mental health clinic. Feasibility was assessed by evaluating recruitment, retention, acceptability, and adherence to study protocol. Communication self-efficacy was assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months using the PEPPI-5. Additional questions evaluated participants’ involvement in shared decision-making (SDM), visit goals accomplished, feeling heard by provider, and perceived barriers to SDM. We also conducted qualitative interviews with participants from the intervention arm. Participants (N=50) were mostly male (62%), non-Hispanic Black (70%) veterans, with a median age that falls in the 45-54 range. We recruited 45% of the target sample and enrolled 68% of eligible participants. Retention was 72% and peers’ fidelity to the study protocol consistently improved. 89% of participants reported satisfaction with PARTNER-MH. We saw a positive trend in PEPPI-5 scores with the intervention group having larger increases than the control group at 3-months (3.61 vs. 1.22) and 6-months (6.53 vs. 1.88). Intervention participants reported increased participation in SDM and fewer barriers to SDM than did control participants. Scores for the item, “thinking about your goal for the visit, how much do you feel you accomplished,” improved the most. Qualitative data corroborate these findings. Participants consistently reported that PARTNER-MH improved their communication self-efficacy and relationships with their mental health providers. PARTNER-MH is a feasible and acceptable mental healthcare disparity intervention that shows promise in improving patient-provider communication for minority veterans.