Outcome Measurement In Psychiatry

This remarkable volume offers a critical analysis of outcome assessment in psychiatry, which allows us to assess not only the measurable domains (i.e., symptoms, functioning, quality of life, and perception of care), but also the standards and instruments used to judge the quality of care.

Mental Health Outcome Measures provides an authoritative review of measurement scales currently available to assess the outcomes of mental health service intervention. The excerpt of summaries by leading writers in the field assess the contributions of scale in areas including mental state examination, quality of life, patient satisfaction, needs assessments, measurement of service cost, global functioning scales, and social disability. These chapters provide a critical appraisal of how far such scales have been shown to be reliable and valid, and provide valuable insights in to their ease of use. This book will provide an invaluable reference manual for those who want to take research on mental health services, and for those who need to interpret this research for policy, planning, and clinical practice.

In order to operate in an evidence-based fashion, mental health services rely on accurate, relevant, and systematic information. One important type of information is the nature of the problems experienced by recipients of mental health care, and how these problems change over the course of time. Outcome measurement involves the systematic, repeated assessment of aspects of health and illness, either by service providers, service recipients, or both. From outcome measurement clinicians and service recipients achieve a common language whereby they can plan treatment and track progress, team leaders and managers secure a basis to compare their services with others and to promote quality, while policy makers and funders derive evidence of effectiveness. This book will be an essential and practical resource for all members of the mental health clinical team as well as those responsible for establishing or managing services, and directing policy.

This User’s Guide is a resource for investigators and stakeholders who develop and review observational comparative effectiveness research protocols. It explains how to (1) identify key considerations and best practices for research design; (2) build a protocol based on these standards and best practices; and (3) judge the adequacy and completeness of a protocol. Eleven chapters cover all aspects of research design, including: developing study objectives, defining and refining study questions, addressing the heterogeneity of treatment effect, characterizing exposure, selecting a comparator, defining and measuring outcomes, and identifying optimal data sources. Checklists of guidance and key considerations for protocols are provided at the end of each chapter. The User’s Guide was created by researchers affiliated with AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program, particularly those who participated in AHRQ’s DEcIDE (Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions About Effectiveness) program. Chapters were subject to multiple internal and external independent reviews. More more information, please consult the Agency website: www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov)

As residential treatment centers and psychiatric hospitals are increasingly asked to document their effectiveness, it is essential for mental health care providers to demonstrate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the services they provide. Outcome Assessment in Residential Treatment helps health care providers demonstrate that their planned treatment is necessary and active rather than simply custodial. A practitioner’s guide to conducting treatment outcome assessment projects, this innovative book presents readers with historical perspectives, current issues, and practical suggestions for implementing an outcome assessment project. Outcome Assessment in Residential Treatment guides psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health practitioners, and social program administrators in addressing which therapeutic components contribute to the goals and objectives of their programs and which may require modification, radical revision, or even elimination. It helps residential treatment centers and psychiatric treatment facilities document treatment successes and better understand which factors (within the client, family, environment, treatment setting, or combinations therein) predict successful outcome. This objective data empowers readers to influence government and industry, enhance public awareness of the needs of severely disturbed children and youth, and validate the usefulness of intensive psychiatric treatment. Unlike other books on treatment outcome, Outcome Assessment in Residential Treatment tells readers how to determine clinically significant improvement and not simply statistically significant change. It gives practical, detailed, proven advice on how to carry out studies that will benefit residential treatment centers and the psychiatric and mental health fields. Contributors provide tools to validate/demonstrate that psychiatric and mental health treatments are effective. They offer insight into: planning a treatment outcome project recognizing ethical, practical, methodological, logistical, and clinical considerations in implementing a treatment outcome project selecting instruments to assess treatment outcome and measuring success comparing different outcome measures Health care providers must have accurate information about treatment outcomes to demonstrate that specific services are beneficial, cost-effective, and well-received by the client. Outcome Assessment in Residential Treatment helps readers evaluate the impact a treatment program has on a client’s clinical status and psychosocial and educational functioning, making it possible to provide an objective yardstick for the payer’s evaluation of the quality of care provided. Psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health practitioners, and social program administrators will find Outcome Assessment in Residential Treatment an essential guide to evaluating and understanding the relative effects of specific interventions or procedures on the quality and effectiveness of their services. They will use this information to make appropriate changes which guarantee that they best meet their clients’mental health care needs.