Routine Outcomes Monitoring to Support Improving Care for Schizophrenia
Report from the VA Mental Health QUERI
Published in: Community Mental Health Journal, v. 47, no. 2, Apr. 2011, p. 123-135
Posted on RAND.org on April 01, 2011
In schizophrenia, treatments that improve outcomes have not been reliably disseminated. A major barrier to improving care has been a lack of routinely collected outcomes data that identify patients who are failing to improve or not receiving effective treatments. To support high quality care, the VA Mental Health QUERI used literature review, expert interviews, and a national panel process to increase consensus regarding outcomes monitoring instruments and strategies that support quality improvement. There was very good consensus in the domains of psychotic symptoms, side-effects, drugs and alcohol, depression, caregivers, vocational functioning, and community tenure. There are validated instruments and assessment strategies that are feasible for quality improvement in routine practice.
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