Suitability and utility of the CORE-OM and CORE-A for assessing severity of presenting problems in psychological therapy services based in primary and secondary care settings.
BACKGROUND
There is a need for reliable assessment tools that are suitable for the counselling and the psychological therapy services in primary and secondary care settings.


OBJECTIVE
To test the suitability and utility of the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) and CORE-Assessment (CORE-A) assessment tools.


METHODS
Service intake data were analysed from counselling and psychological therapy services in 32 primary care settings and 17 secondary care settings.


RESULTS
Completion rates exceeded 98% in both of the settings sampled. Intake severity levels were similar but secondary care patients were more likely to score above the risk cut-off and the severe threshold and to have experienced their problems for a greater duration.


CONCLUSIONS
The CORE-OM and CORE-A are suitable assessment tools that show small but logical differences between psychological therapy services in primary- and secondary-based care.
Barkham
Michael
M
Psychological Therapies Research Centre, 17 Blenheim Terrace, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. m.barkham@leeds.ac.uk
Gilbert
Naomi
N
Connell
Janice
J
Marshall
Chris
C
Twigg
Elspeth
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000379:methods; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D006113:United Kingdom