title: Adult Needs and Strengths Assessment-Abbreviated Referral Version to specify psychiatric care needed for incoming patients: exploratory analysis.
abstract: The present study examined the Adult Needs and Strengths Assessment-Abbreviated Referral Version ratings for a group of 272 incoming psychiatric patients over a 2-yr. period to assess whether the rating scale was useful in predicting clinical placement for psychiatric treatment. Participants were patients (125 women) admitted to Regional Mental Health Care, St. Thomas, Canada between April 2004 and June 2006. Most participants were Euro-Canadian and ranged in age from 16 to 87 years. Clinical cutoff scores were established using observed mean differences in the patients' total scores and are expected to help guide psychiatric triage and longer term rehabilitation placement decisions. A canonical discriminant function analysis showed 85.9% of original level of care placements were correctly classified. The rating scale is a valid and reliable tool to specify level of psychiatric care needed for adults with mental disorders.
authors.affiliation: Specialized Adult Services, Regional Mental Health Care-St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. Charles.nelson@sjhc.london.on.ca
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Johnston
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012107:Research Design; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires