title: A feasibility study to assess service providers' perspectives regarding the use of the child and adolescent functional assessment scale in Ontario.
abstract: This brief report describes a feasibility study conducted to assess the level of satisfaction with the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) rater reliability training, the ease of achieving interrater reliability in rating CAFAS, and the clinical utility of CAFAS as an outcome measurement tool for the province of Ontario, from the perspective of service providers. This study has been instrumental in the development of a 4-year province-wide measurement initiative. The study proved useful to government policy and decision-makers, mental health administrators, clinicians, and mental health service researchers interested in the implementation of outcome measurement tools. It highlighted the fact that at least 85% of respondents were satisfied with CAFAS training and the ease of achieving interrater reliability. The majority identified the usefulness of the tool in case formulation and the value in tracking changes over time.
authors.affiliation: Community Health Systems Resource Group, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1X8. katherine.boydell@sickkids.ca
authors.forename: Katherine M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Boydell
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barwick
authors.forename: H Bruce
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haines
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000145:classification*; D000293:Adolescent; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D003625:Data Collection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015588:Observer Variation; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results