Mental Health Outcomes Information Collection Protocol
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Purpose of outcome data to be collected
The protocol accommodates both the outcomes and case complexity (casemix) objectives of the National Mental Health Information Strategy (2006)1. These are not identical.
- Measurement of service user outcomes by definition presumes a comparison over time and requires information to be collected on at least two occasions in order to allow assessment of change in the service user’s health status.
- Case complexity requirements need key information items to be collected during each episode to allow each period of care within the episode to be adequately described and classified. From a case complexity perspective, the only issue is to ensure that information is collected at the most appropriate point within the overall episode of care.
The standard measures will be used for the purpose of measuring service user outcomes or case complexity, or both. The following table summarises the data to be collected across the various service user groups and the purposes for collection. In general, many of the measures will be used for both outcomes evaluation purposes and case complexity.
| Information to be collected and the purpose of collection | Age group | Purpose | |||
| Child and youth | Adults | Older adults | Outcomes evaluation | Case complexity | |
| Clinical measurement scales | |||||
| Health of the Nation outcomes scales (HoNOSCA/HoNOS/HoNOS65+) | • | • | • | • | • |
| Focus of care | • | • | ◊ | • | |
| Other clinical items available in PRIMHD data set | |||||
| Mental health legal status | • | • | • | ◊ | • |
| Principal and additional diagnosis | • | • | • | ◊ | • |
• Indicates the information will be used for the specific purpose of building casemix classification or measuring outcomes.
◊ Indicates the information is not an outcomes measure as such, but is important for the interpretation of outcome data.
Footnotes
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Page last updated: 23 September 2008