Investigación cualitativa con grupos focales, sobre la experiencia subjetiva de los pacientes psicóticos con tratamiento neuroléptico.

Introduction The approach of subjective experience of psychotic patients with antipsychotics, is specially complex. We sugest the qualitative methodology, as a complement of quantitative scales to study this subject. Hypothesis 1. The qualitative analysis will offer data that the scales which measure subjective experience with antipsychotics don´t cover. 2. The subjective experience of psychotic patients about treatment chronic taking, evaluated by means of qualitative technique, will show if there are differences among classic and new neuroleptics. Material and method Twelve focus groups of psychotic patients from five different clinic contexts, were celebrated. Sample size of 88 participants, each one with more than one year of experience taking classic and new antipsychotics. The groups were audio-taped, transcripted, and the contents codified in thematic cathegories. Consensus was made among investigators, by means of repeteadly reading of the transcriptions. The analysis was completed through a specific computer application (Nvivo), which made the organization of the information easier. Results Exposition of socio-demographic and clinic variables of our sample patients. Presentation of the cathegories and thematic divisions derivated from transcription analysis. Examples of literal quotations are showed. From the quantification of commentaries around psychiatric medicines, we obtain a favourable result for new antipsychotics. Discussion Our participants are experts in defining the treatment effects, with special emphasis in negative ones, and in a more complex way than a scale item. Differences among medications are established, in the extent the clinic state allows it. Factors like attitudes, prospects, therapeutic alliance and medical care context, have influence on the subjective experience of the treatment taking.