[German-speaking mental health services research - what and how is reported? An analysis of publishing in Psychiatrische Praxis 1999-2002].
OBJECTIVE
In mental health service research, the investigated services and care systems as well as the research methodology should be described in a precise and transparent fashion so that findings can be clearly interpreted and used. Therefore, this study investigates what is reported in German language publications on mental health service research.


METHODS
All original papers on mental health service research, that were published in the Psychiatrische Praxis between 1999 and 2002, were systematically reviewed and, using a structured classification system, subjected to content analysis. In particular, it was assessed what forms of care had been studied and what characteristics of care were reported.


RESULTS
54 % (199) of all original publications reported mental health service research in a wide sense. Of these, 8 % were qualitative studies. 58 % of studies investigated in-patient treatment, 20 % comprehensive care systems, and 4 % services provided by psychiatrists or psychotherapists in private office practice. There were hardly any studies on innovative service models. In 51 % of studies, authors had conducted investigations within their own service or care system. In most articles characteristics of the patient sample were exactly described, whilst precise information on the researched service, such as funding, staffing and organisation, was usually missing.


CONCLUSIONS
There still is relatively little research on outpatient services, and mental health service research is not yet appropriately based in the community. Requirements for exact and comprehensive descriptions of the researched services' and care systems are rarely met. In general, the findings suggest that mental health service research in German speaking countries might benefit from studies with researchers who are independent from the investigated service, the evaluation of innovative service models, and above all a standardised description of the services and context in research studies.
Claassen
Dirk
D
Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry, Barts and the Royal London School of Medicine, University of London. drdclaassen@aol.com
Priebe
Stefan
S
D005858:Germany; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008374:Manuscripts, Medical as Topic / Q000266:history*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000266:history*; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000266:history*; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000266:history*