Does community care works? Evaluate the effectiveness of mental health services

Abstract

Introduction

Improving quality require the capability to evaluate clinical and operational processes and improve patients outcomes. Just in the view of evidence-based practise (EBP) it's used HONOS rating Scale, adopted since May 2012, by Mental Health Center of Villorba (Treviso-Italy) There are 3 package treatments: rehabilitative, territorial and clinical.

Objectives

To identify which variables are positively correlated to HONOS improvement in patients group who frequented Mental Health Centre along 36 months. All patients present severe mental illness.

Aims

Evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and correlate to treatment package and individual feature. Analyze treatment process for quality improvement.

Method

A psychiatric team (4 nurses, 1 psychiatrist) administered Honos Rating Scale along 3 years: on starting point and 6, 12 and 36 months later: T 0,1,2,3,4. Patients are also described by diagnosis, mental, social and autonomy skill, time, utilization of MHC and anagraphic information.

Results

All 15 groups’ patients realize lower scoring, after 36 months’ treatment. Seven have got reliable improvement (i.e. = > 8-point lowering T3–T4) and positively correlate with: (1) 36 months’ treatment, at 12 months in rehabilitative Package; (2) days in residential/semi-residential community from 82 to 311 days. Related tables are included in paper.

Discussion and conclusion

HONOS score correlates directly with clinical and riabilitation improvement, i.e. mental, social capacity, and personal autonomy. It needs more investigation to clear which other factors are involved with improvement.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.