Mental Health
Conditions
Keywords
Depression, Psychosis, Personality Disorder, Substance Abuse
Brief summary
Researchers believe that clinical care can be improved by engaging patients and families directly in planning the care process. Engagement efforts have included asking patients/families to provide information about whether they are getting better. But what does getting better mean? The merits of surveys, questionnaires, or rating scales have been widely discussed. Should they be disorder-specific or global? What should the investigators do if patients have difficulty reading or understanding these instruments? Investigators in the United Kingdom have proposed a simple solution: ask the patients and families what their primary goal treatment goal is and track progress together on that goal (Goal-Based Outcomes or GBO). Although there has been some work to suggest that this is helpful, it has never been tested in a controlled way. This study will do a randomized controlled trial to test whether GBO improves clinical care in child and youth mental health. Although the study will use this in child and youth mental health care, if it is successful, it can be tested and applied in any care setting with any type of medical problem. This could change practice at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and throughout Canada.
Interventions
OTHERGoal Based Outcomes
Up to three goals can be tracked during treatment, although patients often decide to just focus on one. Progress on the goal is then quantitatively rated by the patient, with the provider, at every appointment. Adjustments in the care are then made in an iterative process to ensure that the goal will be met.
OTHERTreatment as Usual
Patients will receive their standard care at the Outpatient Mental Health Service
Sponsors
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
4 Years to 18 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Children and youth * Attending outpatient mental health services at CHEO
Exclusion criteria
-Child and youth attending group therapy at CHEO Outpatient Mental Health Services
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Patient/Family Satisfaction | Administered at study completion (up to 52 weeks) | Measured using the Experience of Service Questionnaire |
| Change in Symptoms | Administered at the first appointment and at study completion (up to 52 weeks) | Measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) |
| Change in Function | Administered at the first appointment and at study completion (up to 52 weeks) | Measured using the Child Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. The total score (on a scale of 0-100) will be used, with a higher score indicating better function |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed