Mental Health Outcome Evaluation


Book Description

Mental Health Outcome Evaluation bridges the gap between traditional research and evaluation methods by presenting an alternative to the highly technical and statistical methods developed in the laboratory for mental health care professionals. It focuses on outcome evaluation of mental health services for adults, concentrating on the general principles that can be used to assess the service effectiveness of community health centers, clinics, and private practices. The book presents a formidable argument for descriptive outcome studies through its evaluation of the results and consequences of care and treatment as well as clinician ratings. It is written in a non-technical style, making it accessible to anyone in the mental health industry. - Addresses industry efforts to monitor and assess information about results and consequences of mental health care and treatment - Evaluates use of clinician ratings as outcome information - Offers accessible general principles for managers and mental health services researchers - Presents the best argument for descriptive outcome studies




The Measurement & Management of Clinical Outcomes in Mental Health


Book Description

THE COMPLETE PSYCHOTHERAPY TREATMENT PLANNER Of Related interest Arthur E. Jongsma, Jr. and L. Mark Peterson This valuable guide provides a thorough introduction to treatment planning and contains all of the necessary elements for developing formal treatment plans. In an easy-reference, prewritten format, this book presents detailed problem definitions, treatment goals, objectives, therapeutic interventions, and DSM-IVTM diagnoses for over thirty common clinical problems. Practitioners in the field will find this book to be a great time-saver and an invaluable reference. 1995 (0-471-11738-2) 176 pp. THERASCRIBETM FOR WINDOWS(r) The Computerized Assistant to Psychotherapy Treatment Planning. Arthur E. Jongsma, Jr., L. Mark Peterson, and Kenneth Jongsma. This revolutionary computerized treatment planning software lets you create detailed, customized treatment plans easily and quickly. Designed for use in both inpatient and outpatient settings, its user-friendly format allows clinicians to easily access a wide variety of behavioral definitions, treatment goals and objectives, therapeutic interventions, and DSM-IV diagnoses from its huge database. Its well-organized reports are designed to meet the requirements of Medicare, HMOs, and other third-party payers, which makes this program an important tool for evaluating and treating mental illness. 1997 (0-471-18415-2) 4 3.5 disks THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO MANAGED BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE Edited by Chris E. Stout and Gerald A. Theis Managed care has radically altered the mental health services landscape. This loose-leaf style reference manual, which is updated semiannually, offers in-depth analysis from leading experts of changes in practice management, quality and outcome issues, technology, and automation. It also addresses important legal, regulatory, fiscal, and contractual concerns. Packed with practical tools and useful sample forms, the Guide includes a comprehensive glossary of managed care terms and a complete list of managed care organizations. 1996 (0-471-12586-5) 324 pp. THE MEASUREMENT & MANAGEMENT OF CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN MENTAL HEALTH Once used almost exclusively by psychotherapy researchers, clinical outcomes testing is quickly becoming a standard component of mental health practice. JCAHO has mandated that outcomes must be included in mental health record keeping by the end of the decade, and the six largest managed care firms have announced plans to begin tracking clinical outcomes. While debates over the potential advantages and disadvantages of this move rage on, the fact remains that all clinicians in managed care systems will soon be compelled to incorporate outcomes assessment into their clinical routines. The Measurement and Management of Clinical Outcomes in Mental Health prepares clinicians and administrators for this inevitability. Written by a team of experts with extensive experience in design and implementation, this timely book explores the rationale behind outcomes measurement and offers readers concrete advice and guidelines on conducting accurate and effective outcomes measurement. In the first half of the book, the authors review the conceptual and practical aspects of outcomes management. Among the issues receiving special attention are: the psychometrics of outcomes; measuring patient satisfaction; implementation strategies; the role of consumer characteristics in outcomes management, especially in regard to needs-based planning; case-mix adjustment strategies; and barriers to implementation and strategies for overcoming them. The second half of the book is devoted entirely to detailed case examples. Over the course of five chapters, the authors vividly illustrate their approaches to outcomes management in five different specialty areas—outpatient psychotherapy, acute psychiatric services, community services, child and adolescent services, and substance-abuse treatment services. The first comprehensive guide to designing and implementing outcomes evaluation systems, The Measurement and Management of Clinical Outcomes in Mental Health is an important resource for all mental health practitioners as well as mental health and managed care administrators.




Outcome Measures and Evaluation in Counselling and Psychotherapy


Book Description

This book sets in context the role of outcome measurement research - taking you step-by-step through the research process and beyond to consider the wider professional and ethical issues involved. This book will provide you with everything you need to know and more, helping you develop the skills and knowledge you need to become a successful research-informed practitioner. Written for trainees and counselling and psychotherapy practitioners, this book: - Provides you with a brief overview and history of research and measurement in mental health contexts. - Sets out a framework for understanding the core features of outcome measures and their scope. - Takes you step-to-step through the process of implementing a SMART outcome evaluation. - Addresses the benefits and limitations of outcome measures research for the individual client, practitioner and service provider. Packed full of case studies, activities and tools for real-life practice, this book throws a life belt to all counselling and psychotherapy trainees and practitioners looking to make the best start in their research-informed career. Chris Evans is Visiting Professor at the University of UDLA, Ecuador and an Honorary Professor at the University of Roehampton. Jo-anne Carlyle is Director of PSYCTC.com




Evaluation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Services


Book Description

Approximately 4 million U.S. service members took part in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Shortly after troops started returning from their deployments, some active-duty service members and veterans began experiencing mental health problems. Given the stressors associated with war, it is not surprising that some service members developed such mental health conditions as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and substance use disorder. Subsequent epidemiologic studies conducted on military and veteran populations that served in the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq provided scientific evidence that those who fought were in fact being diagnosed with mental illnesses and experiencing mental healthâ€"related outcomesâ€"in particular, suicideâ€"at a higher rate than the general population. This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the quality, capacity, and access to mental health care services for veterans who served in the Armed Forces in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn. It includes an analysis of not only the quality and capacity of mental health care services within the Department of Veterans Affairs, but also barriers faced by patients in utilizing those services.




Outcome-Based Evaluation


Book Description

Outcome-based evaluation continues to play a central role in the larger field of policy analysis and speaks to the needs and interests of administrators, students, policymakers, funders, consumers, and educators. In a thoroughgoing revision of the first edition of this classic text and reference, published by Plenum in 1995, the author broadens the coverage from his previous emphasis on developmental disabilities to include other areas of human and social service delivery such as education, health, mental health, aging, substance abuse, and corrections.




Mental Health Outcome Measures


Book Description

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.




Handbook of Psychoeducational Assessment


Book Description

The Handbook of Psychoeducational Assessment is a practical guide for educational and psychological professionals using norm-referenced tests in the ability, achievement, and behavioral assessment of children. Written by key individuals involved in the construction and evolution of the most widely used tests, this book provides critical information on the nature and scope of commonly used tests, their reliability and validity, administration, scoring and interpretation, and on how the tests may differ and complement each other in their utility with specific populations. Part 1 of the Handbook of Psychoeducational Assessment focuses on ability assessment and the use of full battery intelligence tests as well as brief scales and short forms. Part 2 discusses achievement and the expanded role of psychologists in consultation with educators. Part 3 covers behavior assessment with special attention given to discussion of which tests are most suitable for assessing specific behavioral problems such as ADHD, anxiety, and depression. The final section recognizes the importance of context and person sensitive assessment practices, discussing cross-cultural assessment, neuropsychological assessment, and the usefulness of dynamic assessment for program planning and intervention delivery. Key Features: - Covers the most commonly used and newest assessment instruments - Describes the nature, scope, reliability, and validity of each test - Discusses the administration, scoring, and interpretation of tests - Provides empirical findings on patterns of performance with tested populations - Includes case studies to highlight the utility of specific tests for specific populations - Illustrates new developments in instrumentation and unique features - Covers the most commonly used and newest assessment instruments - Describes the nature, scope, reliability, and validity of each test - Discusses the administration, scoring, and interpretation of tests - Provides empirical findings on patterns of performance with tested populations - Includes case studies to highlight the utility of specific tests for specific populations - Illustrates new developments in instrumentation and unique features




Psychosocial Interventions for Mental and Substance Use Disorders


Book Description

Mental health and substance use disorders affect approximately 20 percent of Americans and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Although a wide range of evidence-based psychosocial interventions are currently in use, most consumers of mental health care find it difficult to know whether they are receiving high-quality care. Although the current evidence base for the effects of psychosocial interventions is sizable, subsequent steps in the process of bringing a psychosocial intervention into routine clinical care are less well defined. Psychosocial Interventions for Mental and Substance Use Disorders details the reasons for the gap between what is known to be effective and current practice and offers recommendations for how best to address this gap by applying a framework that can be used to establish standards for psychosocial interventions. The framework described in Psychosocial Interventions for Mental and Substance Use Disorders can be used to chart a path toward the ultimate goal of improving the outcomes. The framework highlights the need to (1) support research to strengthen the evidence base on the efficacy and effectiveness of psychosocial interventions; (2) based on this evidence, identify the key elements that drive an intervention's effect; (3) conduct systematic reviews to inform clinical guidelines that incorporate these key elements; (4) using the findings of these systematic reviews, develop quality measures - measures of the structure, process, and outcomes of interventions; and (5) establish methods for successfully implementing and sustaining these interventions in regular practice including the training of providers of these interventions. The recommendations offered in this report are intended to assist policy makers, health care organizations, and payers that are organizing and overseeing the provision of care for mental health and substance use disorders while navigating a new health care landscape. The recommendations also target providers, professional societies, funding agencies, consumers, and researchers, all of whom have a stake in ensuring that evidence-based, high-quality care is provided to individuals receiving mental health and substance use services.




Developing a Protocol for Observational Comparative Effectiveness Research: A User's Guide


Book Description

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)




Tracking Mental Health Outcomes


Book Description

This book provides therapists guidance on choosing the best outcomes- tracking methods and instruments. It explains how to integrate them into everyday clinical procedures and use the data they supply to improve the quality of care and comply with insurance and regulatory agency requirements. Both intraclient and normative approaches are described. Case studies illustrate how to perform and document outcomes assessment. Wiger is a practicing psychologist. Solberg teaches at the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR.