Feedback from Outcome Measures and Treatment Effectiveness, Treatment Efficiency, and Collaborative Practice: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Due to recent increases in the use of feedback from outcome measures in mental health settings, we systematically reviewed evidence regarding the impact of feedback from outcome measures on treatment effectiveness, treatment efficiency, and collaborative practice. In over half of 32 studies reviewed, the feedback condition had significantly higher levels of treatment effectiveness on at least one treatment outcome variable. Feedback was particularly effective for not-on-track patients or when it was provided to both clinicians and patients. The findings for treatment efficiency and collaborative practice were less consistent. Given the heterogeneity of studies, more research is needed to determine when and for whom feedback is most effective.

A qualitative exploration of attitudes towards the use of outcome measures in child and adolescent mental health services

“…The feedback process of outcome monitoring has similarly been shown to make a difference to treatment effectiveness compared to patients receiving no feedback, on at least one treatment outcome (Gondek, et al, 2016). Training child mental health clinicians to use outcome measures has been shown to be associated with higher levels of positive attitudes and selfefficacy related to administering measures and using feedback from measures, which may suggest that training could help to overcome the above reluctance to using measures (Edbrooke-Childs, Wolpert, & Deighton, 2014).…”

Capabilities and Characteristics of Digital Measurement Feedback Systems: Results from a Comprehensive Review

“…This review is limited to MFS that address behavioral health for several reasons. First, recent research – including multiple reviews of studies – has provided strong evidence of benefits of using MFS in this context (Bickman, Kelley, Breda, de Andrade, & Riemer, 2011; Gondek, Edbrooke-Childs, Fink, Deighton, & Wolpert, in press; Krägeloh, Czuba, Billington, Kersten, & Siegert, 2015; Lambert et al, 2003). Second, MFS for behavioral health have flooded the market in recent years in response to increasing demands for accountability to provide evidence of positive outcomes of treatment.…”

Routine Outcome Monitoring in Mental Health Care and Particularly in Addiction Treatment: Evidence-Based Clinical and Research Recommendations

“…ROM feedback may initiate important management decisions for the clinician such as changing treatment, giving extra advice or education to the patient, or referring to other professionals [10]. Feedback may also help clinicians engage in thinking more deeply about patients and it provides them with a greater sense of professional identity [39]. Therapeutic Assessment (TA; [40,41]) on the other hand is focused on the therapeutic effects of providing test feedback of questionnaires to patients.…”

“…TA usually involves three sessions and it is a mini-treatment in its own right, because it functions as a mean of patient self-verification, self-enhancement, self-efficacy, self-discovery [1]. Repeated ROM measurement might also increase patients' symptom awareness, their ability to report relevant symptoms, their self-confidence and treatment compliance [39]. This could help the patient to improve more quickly [10].…”

“…However, what evidence for these benefits is available so far? In summary, the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of ROM or ROM feedback in mental health treatment of adult psychiatric patients is as follows [1,10,11,39,[50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59].…”