Measuring outcome priorities and preferences in people with schizophrenia.
BACKGROUND
Measures have not taken account of the relative importance patients place on various outcomes.


OBJECTIVE
To construct and evaluate a multidimensional, preference-weighted mental health index.


METHODS
Each of over 1200 patients identified the relative importance of improvement in six domains: social life, energy, work, symptoms, confusion and side-effects. A mental health index was created in which measures of well-being in these six domains were weighted for their personal importance.


RESULTS
The strongest preference was placed on reducing confusion and the least on reducing side-effects. There was no significant difference between the unweighted and preference-weighted mental health status measures and they had similar correlations with global health status measures. Patients with greater preference for functional activities such as work had less preference for medical model goals such as reducing symptoms and had less symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
A preference-weighted mental health index demonstrated no advantage over an unweighted index.
Rosenheck
Robert
R
Northeast Program Evaluation Center (182), VA Connecticut Health Care System, 950 Campbell Avenue, West Haven, CT 06516, USA. Robert.Rosenheck@Yale.edu
Stroup
Scott
S
Keefe
Richard S E
RS
McEvoy
Joseph
J
Swartz
Marvin
M
Perkins
Diana
D
Hsiao
John
J
Shumway
Martha
M
Lieberman
Jeffrey
J
D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D001288:Attention; D001294:Attitude to Health; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003221:Confusion / Q000523:psychology; D003702:Delusions / Q000523:psychology; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents