The use of the Camberwell Assessment of Need in treatment: what unmet needs can be met?
BACKGROUND
A useful way of operationalising treatment effects in routine outcome assessment data may be to assess the rate at which unmet needs at time point t change to met needs at time point t + 1.


METHODS
Data were obtained from the local Cumulative Needs for Care Register (CNCR), a cumulative data set of needs (Camberwell Assessment of Need), psychopathology, well being and functioning of psychiatric patients living both inside and outside the hospital, in a circumscribed geographical area.


RESULTS
In the group of relatively new patients, the number of met needs (sum score) increased over time. Higher unmet needs sum score predicted higher met needs at time point t + 1. Unmet needs in the areas of accommodation, household skills, self-care, safety to others (in new patients only), alcohol, drugs, money and benefits were associated with met needs on these items at time point t + 1, but there was no such association for occupation/daytime activities, psychotic symptoms, psychological distress and self-harm.


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment outcomes in psychiatric practice can be usefully tracked and quantified using the rate of change from unmet to met needs. Needs in the area of the ability to live independently may represent outcomes that are more sensitive to treatment effects than needs in the realm of psychopathology and daytime activities.
Drukker
Marjan
M
Dept. of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, Location Vijverdal, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. marjan.drukker@sp.unimaas.nl
van Dillen
Kim
K
Bak
Maarten
M
Mengelers
Ron
R
van Os
Jim
J
Delespaul
Philippe
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D012042:Registries; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires