Digitally delivered treatment for unusual sensory experiences for people with psychosis: a real-world service evaluation study

Background: Hallucinations and other unusual sensory experiences (USE) are common in people with psychosis. Yet access to effective psychological therapies remains limited. We evaluated if we can increase access to psychological therapy by using a brief treatment, focused only on understanding and dealing with hallucinations (Managing Unusual Sensory Experiences; MUSE), delivered by a less trained but more widely available workforce that harnessed the benefits (engaging content, standardisation) afforded by digital technology. The delivery of this in a real-world setting was considered within the non-adoption, abandonment, scale-up, spread, and sustainability (NASSS) framework. Method: Thirty-eight people with psychosis and distressing hallucinatory experiences were offered sessions of MUSE, delivered by trained and supervised assistant psychologists. MUSE was evaluated within an uncontrolled study conducted in routine clinical practice. Assessments pre- and post-treatment enabled consideration of the impact of the real-world intervention. Results: There was good uptake (88.4%), and receipt of MUSE (89% received four or more sessions). On average participants received 8.69 sessions. The participants reported significant reductions in voice hearing, paranoia, as well as improved quality of life. The feedback from the participants indicated that MUSE delivered by a less trained workforce was acceptable and beneficial. Conclusions: In a real-world setting we were able to offer and deliver sessions of a brief psychological psycho-education and coping skills enhancement package to people with distressing USE in the context of psychosis. The delivery of MUSE when considered against the NASSS framework appears to be a good candidate for adoption in services.