Content and implementation of clinical decisions in the routine care of people with severe mental illness.

BACKGROUND: Clinical decision making (CDM) in the treatment of people with severe mental illness relates to a wide range of life domains. AIMS: To examine content of CDM in mental health care from the perspectives of service users and staff and to investigate variation in implementation of decisions for differing content. METHOD: As part of the European multicenter study clinical decision making and outcome in routine care for people with severe mental illness (ISRCTN75841675), 588 service users and their clinicians were asked to identify the decisions made during their last meeting. Decisions were then coded into content categories. Two months later, both parties reported if these decisions had been implemented. RESULTS: Agreement between patients and staff regarding decision making was moderate (k = 0.21­0.49; p < 0.001). Decisions relating to medication and social issues were most frequently identified. Overall reported level of implementation was 73.5% for patients and 74.7% for staff, and implementation varied by decision content. CONCLUSIONS: A variety of relevant decision topics were shown for mental health care.Implementation rates varied in relation to topic and may need different consideration within the therapeutic dyad.

Desire for information of people with severe mental illness.

PURPOSE: To assess (1) the desire of people with severe mental illness for information on their treatment and (2) whether the desire for information is associated with socio-demographic variables, diagnosis, illness duration, therapeutic relationship, needs and symptom severity. METHODS: 588 outpatients with severe mental illness were recruited in six European countries (Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom) during the "Clinical decision making and outcome in routine care of people with severe mental illness (CEDAR)" study (ISRCTN75841675). Desire for information was assessed by the Information subscale of the Clinical Decision Making Style Scale. Study participants with high desire for information were compared with those with moderate or low desire for information. RESULTS: 80 % of study participants (n = 462) wanted to receive information on all aspects of their treatment (management, prognosis, alternative options for care). Participants with a high desire for information had less severe symptoms (OR = 0.988, CI = 0.977-1.000) and a better self-rated therapeutic alliance (OR = 1.304, CI = 1.130-1.508) with their clinician. CONCLUSIONS: Most, but not all, people with severe mental illness have a high desire for information. Desire for information is associated with variables, such as therapeutic relationship and symptom severity, which are amenable to change during treatment.

Course of health care costs before and after psychiatric inpatient treatment: patient-reported vs. administrative records.

BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence on the course of health service costs before and after psychiatric inpatient treatment, which might also be affected by source of cost data. Thus, this study examines: i) differences in health care costs before and after psychiatric inpatient treatment, ii) whether these differences vary by source of cost-data (self-report vs. administrative), and iii) predictors of cost differences over time. METHODS: Sixty-one psychiatric inpatients gave informed consent to their statutory health insurance company to provide insurance records and completed assessments at admission and 6-month follow-up. These were compared to the self-reported treatment costs derived from the "Client Socio-demographic and Service Use Inventory" (CSSRI-EU) for two 6-month observation periods before and after admission to inpatient treatment to a large psychiatric hospital in rural Bavaria. Costs were divided into subtypes including costs for inpatient and outpatient treatment as well as for medication. RESULTS: Sixty-one participants completed both assessments. Over one year, the average patient-reported total monthly treatment costs increased from € 276.91 to € 517.88 (paired Wilcoxon Z = -2.27; P = 0.023). Also all subtypes of treatment costs increased according to both data sources. Predictors of changes in costs were duration of the index admission and marital status. CONCLUSION: Self-reported costs of people with severe mental illness adequately reflect actual service use as recorded in administrative data. The increase in health service use after inpatient treatment can be seen as positive, while the pre-inpatient level of care is a potential problem, raising the question whether more or better outpatient care might have prevented hospital admission. Findings may serve as a basis for future studies aiming at furthering the understanding of what to expect regarding appropriate levels of post-hospital care, and what factors may help or inhibit post-discharge treatment engagement. Future research is also needed to examine long-term effects of inpatient psychiatric treatment on outcome and costs.

[Health service costs in people with severe mental illness: patient report vs. administrative records]. / Kosten medizinischer Leistungen bei Menschen mit schweren psychischen Erkrankungen: Selbstbericht vs. Kostenträgerangaben.

OBJECTIVE: During the last years, self-reported measures of mental health service use for people with mental illness have become increasingly popular. Yet, little is known about the differences between patient report and administrative records and how these may be explained. METHODS: 82 of the 294 participants of the study "Outcome monitoring and outcome management in in-patient psychiatric care" were insured with a major statutory health insurance (AOK Schwaben) and gave informed consent to researchers to access their AOK administrative records. For a 6-month period prior to psychiatric hospital admission, these were compared to the costs as assessed via the German version of the "Client Sociodemographic and Service Receipt Inventory" (CSSRI-EU). RESULTS: Median total monthly treatment costs were 112.23 € (patient-reported) vs. 254.23 € (administrative records; paired Wilcoxon Z = - 3.75; p < 0.001). Cost differences were independent of participants' socioeconomic and clinical characteristics. Correspondence between total treatment costs was substantial for total costs (ρ = 0.48; p < 0.001) and all subtypes of costs (in- and outpatient services, medication). CONCLUSIONS: Despite a general tendency to underreport service use, self-report data adequately reflect the "real" health service costs as evident in the health insurance records of people with mental illness.