Special Projects
AMHOCN has undertaken special projects on carer outcome mesaurement and the development of clinical prompts related to the NOCC measures.
Clinical Prompts Project
During late 2007 - early 2008, AMHOCN undertook a project to establish the feasibility of linking clinical prompts to scores on the NOCC routine outcome measures; and the subsequent development of a library of clinical prompts to be potentially incorporated into the Web Decision Support Tool (wDST), or other information systems. Through a process of consultation with clinical reference groups, consumers and carers, eight sets of prompts linked to the NOCC measures in differing ways were developed, creating a matrix of prompts when combined. The primary focus of the prompts is to assist the supervision of junior mental health clinicians, but with recognition of a significant potential wider group of users including consumers and carers.
Carer Outcomes Measures Project
During late 2007 - early 2008, AMHOCN undertook a project which involved a scoping exercise, designed to explore the context within which carer outcome measurement might be introduced and to identify any candidate instruments. The project focused on carers of adults with mental illness (not children/adolescents or older persons). It examined instruments that consider carer burden, wellbeing and need - but did not focus on instruments that elicit carers’ perspectives of consumers’ symptomatology and level of functioning. An extensive literature review and a broad consultation process assisted in the identification of two instruments that might serve the purpose of routine carer outcome measurement with some modification. However, the introduction of an instrument to routinely measure outcomes for carers was seen as neither practical nor feasible at this time, and should only occur in the context of implementing a range of initiatives designed to improve carer outcomes. The carer-specific standard in the revised National Standards for Mental Health Services was highlighted as a context for these efforts.