Clinical utility of Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for older persons in a memory clinic.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this paper is to report the findings from a routine collection of Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for older persons (HoNOS65 + ) in a memory clinic and to explore its clinical utility with clinicians working in old age psychiatric services.


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective analysis of HoNOS65+ ratings collected during a 12-month period in a newly established memory clinic. Results of this part of the study were presented to 34 clinicians.


RESULTS
The mean total HoNOS65+ score was 6.8 and 7.0 for the initial and follow-up episodes respectively. Between 60 and 65% of the clinicians indicated that they 'disagree', 'strongly disagree' or were 'unsure' whether HoNOS65+ (i) can contribute to clinical decision making; (ii) is useful in monitoring progress; (iii) is useful in supporting consumers to assess their progress; and (iv) is assisting in assessing, planning and evaluating service delivery.


CONCLUSIONS
Service users had timely diagnostic assessment and interventions at the memory clinic. The lack of change on the HoNOS65+ suggests the positive effect of the clinic was not captured by this outcome measure. Although HoNOS65+ is routinely collected, its clinical utility as perceived by clinicians is relatively limited.
Cheung
Gary
G
Mental Health Services for Older People, Auckland District Health Board, Auckland, New Zealand. GCheung@adhb.govt.nz
Williams
Gwyneth
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D003657:Decision Making; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006285:Health Planning; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome