Attitudes of mental health staff to routine outcome measurement

Background: Routine outcome measurement is mandated in public mental health services in Australia, but uptake and compliance are variable. This may be because of uncertainties and resistances among clinicians. Aims: To survey attitudes and practices to routine outcome measurement among staff in adult area mental health services and to elucidate their correlates. Method: As part of a larger study, a specifically designed questionnaire was distributed to all staff. Results: A high return rate was achieved. A wide range of opinion was found. Staff who had attended training reported the measures as easier to use than those who had not. Staff who had recently seen feedback rated outcome measures as more valuable but less easy to use than those who had not seen feedback. Compared to other disciplines, medical staff and psychologists tended to rate outcome measures as less useful. Conclusions: The results have implications for the implementation and sustainability of routine outcome measurement. They highlight the need for staff to receive targeted training and usable reports, and to have access to resources to extract meaning and value from outcome measures.