Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) vs. Health of Nation Outcome Scale for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA) in clinical outcome measurement.
BACKGROUND
The Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) and Health of Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA) are both measures of outcome for adolescent mental health services.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the ADAD with HoNOSCA; to examine their clinical usefulness.


METHODS
Comparison of the ADAD and HoNOSCA outcome measures of 20 adolescents attending a psychiatric day care unit.


RESULTS
ADAD change was positively correlated with HoNOSCA change. HoNOSCA assesses the clinic's day-care programme more positively than the ADAD. The ADAD detects a group for which the mean score remains unchanged whereas HoNOSCA does not.


CONCLUSIONS
A good convergent validity emerges between the two assessment tools. The ADAD allows an evidence-based assessment and generally enables a better subject discrimination than HoNOSCA. HoNOSCA gives a less refined evaluation but is more economic in time and possibly more sensitive to change. Both assessment tools give useful information and enabled the Day-care Unit for Adolescents to rethink the process of care and of outcome, which benefited both the institution and the patients.
Holzer
Laurent
L
Psychiatric University Department for Children and Adolescents, Lausanne, Switzerland. Laurent.Holzer@chuv.ch
Tchemadjeu
Irène Kölbl
IK
Plancherel
Bernard
B
Bolognini
Monique
M
Rossier
Valérie
V
Chinet
Léonie
L
Halfon
Olivier
O
D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D013557:Switzerland