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Supporting recovery through shared decision making

CommonGround is a web-based software application that empowers those of us with psychiatric diagnoses to communicate with psychiatrists and to arrive at shared decisions about next steps in the management of long-term psychiatric conditions. It was developed by and for people diagnosed with psychiatric disabilities. As of the end of June 2010, we have 2 state hospitals, 1 peer center and 7 mental health centers using CommonGround in 3 different states.  All client users are receiving services in public sector mental health system and meet criteria for diagnoses of severe mental illness.  Additionally, we have 49 agencies participating in a Personal Medicine and Power Statement Learn Collaborative. 

You can watch a 4-minute video overview of CommonGround

The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has recognized CommonGround as a Healthcare Innovation.

RESEARCH

You can read research about CommonGround or read about how it supports recovery.

About CommonGround:

For the doctor: CommonGround creates efficiencies in the psychiatric consultation and optimizes collaboration with the client in the management of long-term psychiatric conditions. It identifies treatment adherence concerns upstream and generates solutions for resolving decisional uncertainty about treatment.  CommonGround presents a holistic view of the

patient-as-person, brings the individual to the center of the clinical care team and helps medical practitioners focus on functional recovery outcomes like getting back to work.

For the client: CommonGround amplifies the client's voice and brings concerns to the center of the the psychiatric care team.  It empowers clients to talk with their doctors about treatment concerns before nonadherence become an issue.  CommonGround activates clients in the disease management and wellness process by helping them identify Personal Medicine or the things they can do to create wellness such as gardening, walking and being with loved ones.  It provides clients with the tools to create Power Statement that communicate individualized, functional recovery goals such as going back to work and parenting.

For Direct Service Staff: CommonGround provides peer staff with a unique career track, set of skills and tools to support people in getting active and involved in their psychiatric care. It also provides case managers and other direct service staff with practical, recovery oriented strategies for supporting clients' recovery.

For the Mental Health Administrator: CommonGround is a risk management tool that insures quality in the busy psychopharmacology consultation.  It provides on-the-job training in recovery oriented practice and helps to achieve transformation of services to support recovery.

CommonGround can be used in peer centers, inpatient units and outpatient clinics. Because it is a web based application, it can be used by mobile outreach teams and Programs for Assertive Community Treatment.

After initial start-up costs, CommonGround is available to organizations at $2 per user per month.  Contact Pat@patdeegan.com to learn more.