[Validation of two measuring instruments for routine outcome monitoring in psychiatry: the HORVAN study]. / Validering van twee meetinstrumenten voor routine outcome monitoring in de psychiatrie: de HORVAN-studie.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Transparency in psychiatry can be increased by the use of routine outcome monitoring (rom) instruments. Instruments should be easy to use and take very little time to complete; they also need to have psychometric qualities, be sensitive to change, and provide information about patients' symptoms, and about interpersonal and social functioning. AIM: To investigate to what extent the combination of Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) and the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ) in the Dutch situation meets the above-mentioned quality criteria and to examine how the combination relates to the Symptom CheckList (SCL-­90). METHOD: Data for 148 patients collected at three measurement moments were available for analysis. The psychometric qualities of the instruments and their sensitivity to change were checked carefully. RESULTS: The three scales showed high values for internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha). The HoNOS total score and the subscales of the OQ correlated reasonably well with the SCL­-90 total score (convergence validity). At the first measurements, patients with a comorbid diagnosis had the lowest scores (discrimination validity). The clinically significant change between T1 and T2 and between T2 and T3 was sufficiently high for all three measuring instruments. CONCLUSION: The combination of the HoNOS rating scale and the self­-report list OQ seems to be suitable for ROM in psychiatry.