The assessment of so-called at-risk mental states (ARMS) or ultra-high risk (UHR) is
currently considered the gold standard for early detection of psychosis. The UHR
criteria assess subclinical psychotic symptoms (SPS) through structured interviews such
as the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS).
Despite the clear benefits of detecting these individuals before they develop the
psychotic disorders, the acceptance of these protocols by the people who ultimately
must use them should not be taken for granted. The general objective of this qualitative
study is to gather qualitative data from a group of clinicians who work at day hospitals
to explore their views on barriers and enablers of successful implementation of an early
detection protocol for psychosis. The qualitative interviews designed for the staff at the
centres participating in this study are based on normalization process theory (NPT), a
widely used theory to explain the processes by which an intervention—in this case, a
protocolized psychosis risk assessment—can or cannot be integrated into routine care
(May et al., 2009, 2018). Convenience sampling has been conducted, intentionally
taking into account sociodemographic and professional variables to ensure the greatest
possible variety in key characteristics (e.g., age, gender, professional/educational
background, position, etc.). The interviews have been transcribed verbatim and coded at
the time of transcription. The National Centre for Social Research's "Frame" analysis
approach (Ritchie and Spencer, 1994) will be used to analyse and interpret the interview
data