Issues in the assessment of outcome in mental health.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this paper is to examine a number of issues in the assessment of outcome in mental health.


METHODS
Issues are considered in terms of a number of dichotomies or choices. These include: intervention-dependent versus intervention-independent definitions of outcome, focusing on inputs or processes versus outcomes; individual versus organisational outcomes; outcomes for patients versus outcomes for significant others; pure versus mixed outcomes; care versus cure; direct versus indirect measures; objective versus subjective measures; descriptive versus prescriptive measures; global versus specific assessment; and assessing at significant times points versus assessing at fixed intervals.


CONCLUSIONS
Guiding principles are formulated in terms of the foregoing issues.
Department of Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Victoria, Australia. trauer@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au
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D001315:Australia; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales