title: A framework for exploring the potential of routine outcome measurement to improve mental health care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To present a framework for exploring the potential applications of routine outcome measurement (ROM) to improve clinical practice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ROM is now commonplace in Australian mental health services, but it is fair to say that it has not yet achieved its potential in guiding service quality improvements. The framework described in this paper articulates the key components of ROM, noting that data from standardized outcome measures must be augmented by contextual information from other datasets. It considers the key users of ROM, and suggests the kind of questions that ROM might answer for each user group. It presents the use of ROM as a cycle of understanding the context, prioritization, brainstorming and planning, action and review. It is hoped that this framework might help to maximize the clinical utility of ROM at a number of levels.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Services for Older People, South West Sydney Local Health District, Wetherill Park, NSW, Australia. roderick.mcKay@sswahs.nsw.gov.au
authors.forename: Rod
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McKay
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Coombs
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pirkis
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D058996:Quality Improvement