Publication Summary
Background: Client-centred care in mental health requires the collection of outcomes that are meaningful to both clinicians and to users of mental health services. Aims: To elicit and prioritize mental health outcomes, from the point of view of service-users. Methods: We conducted two service user focus groups exploring how service users understood the concept of outcome. Qualitative analysis identified a hierarchical “tree” of themes relating to outcome. We then used a Delphi Panel consensus method to prioritize these outcome domains. Results: Forty-four individual outcome domains were identified. These were grouped into 6 categories of personal and social changes: Changes in Myself; Believing in Change; Satisfaction with Treatment; Managing Independently; Social Contact and Connection with Society. No particular pattern could be identified in the items that were most strongly endorsed in the Delphi exercise but two additional outcome domains were produced that had not appeared in the focus groups. Conclusions: Although the domains of outcome identified in this study overlap with many of those that are commonly in use, there appeared to be a greater emphasis on non-clinical and social outcomes. Further research could explore these findings further and develop psychometrically robust instruments that more strongly reflect a user perspective.
CAER Authors
Prof. Simon Gilbody
University of York - Director of the Mental Health and Addictions Research Group