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Health of the Nation Outcome Scales

Results of the Victorian field trial

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

Tom Trauer ,
Tom Callaly ,
Paul Hantz ,
John Little ,
Robert B. Shields  and
Jenny Smith
Tom Trauer*
Affiliation:
The Alfred Hospital, and Department of Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Victoria
Tom Callaly
Affiliation:
Division of Psychiatry, Geelong Hospital, Victoria
Paul Hantz
Affiliation:
Division of Psychiatry, Geelong Hospital, Victoria
John Little
Affiliation:
Grampians Psychiatric Service, Victoria
Robert B. Shields
Affiliation:
Central East Mental Health Service, Victoria
Jenny Smith
Affiliation:
Inner West Area Mental Health Service, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia
*
Dr Tom Trauer, Department of Psychological Medicine, Monash Medical Centre, 246 Clayton Road, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia, Tel: 61 39550 1479; fax: 61 39550 1449; e - mail: trauer@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au
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Abstract

Background

In Victoria, Australia, systematic assessment of outcomes in mental health services are being instituted.

Aims

To carry out a large-scale field trial of the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS).

Method

2137 clients were rated by mental health workers on the HoNOS, and about half were rated again within a few months.

Results

While interrater reliability of the total score was satisfactory, that of some individual items was unacceptable. Significant associations with age and gender were found, and clients with non-psychotic disorders obtained higher (i.e. worse) ratings than those with psychotic disorders. There were relationships between service use and HoNOS total score. For the group as a whole, total scores had not changed at the second rating, but admissions and discharges were associated with increases and decreases in total score. Among clients in the community, there was no relationship between change in HoNOS total score and frequency of contacts.

Conclusions

Certain items, notably 11 and 12, were unreliable. The absence of evidence of sensitivity to change may be due to the short re-rating interval, little real change in the clients, or the characteristics of the scale itself.

Type
HoNOS Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 174 , Issue 5 , May 1999 , pp. 380 - 388
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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Footnotes

Declaration of interest

None.

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