Evaluating psychological therapies services: A review of outcome measures and their utility

Leach, Chris, Lucock, Mike, Iveson, Steve and Noble, Rachael (2004) Evaluating psychological therapies services: A review of outcome measures and their utility. Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 1 (1). pp. 53-66. ISSN 1743-6885

Preview	PDF - Published Version Download (362kB) | Preview
Preview	PDF (Whole journal issue) - Published Version Download (1317kB) | Preview

Abstract

We describe the use of a number of outcome measures that have been used over the
past eight years to evaluate adult psychological therapies services in the Wakefield &
Pontefract locality of the South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust. The
psychological therapies service now has a unique database of outcome measures
completed by 5563 clients, which has been used nationally and internationally for
service evaluation and research purposes. Internally, the database has informed the
clinical service, allowing prioritising of referrals and feedback to clinicians and
referral agencies on the quality of the service and appropriateness of referrals.

We describe the properties and intended use of the measures, the way results are fed
back to the service and evaluate the usefulness of the measures in routine service
settings. Implications for psychological therapies and other mental health services are
discussed including:

• Choice of generic or specific outcome measures

• How the measures relate to one another

• Clinical usefulness of the measures, including risk assessment

• Interpretation of results, including availability of norms and how to assess
change

• Practical utility, including cost

Item control for Repository Staff only: