Utility of the Montreal Assessment of Need Questionnaire for Community Mental Health Planning

Abstract

Needs assessment facilitates mental health services planning, provision, and evaluation. This study aimed to a) validate a new instrument, the Montreal Assessment of Needs Questionnaire (MANQ), and b) use this to assess variations and predictors of need (number and seriousness) in 297 individuals with severe mental disorders for 18 months, during implementation of the Quebec Mental Health Action Plan. MANQ internal and external validations were adequate. Variables significantly associated with need number and seriousness variations were used to build multiple linear regression models. Autonomous housing, not receiving welfare, not having consulted a health educator, higher level of help from services, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test total score, and social support were associated with decreasing need number and seriousness over time. Having a higher education was also associated with decreasing need number. In a reform context, the MANQ’s unique ability to detect rapid improvement in patient needs has usefulness for Quebec mental health planning.

Predictors of Frequent Recourse to Health Professionals by People with Severe Mental Disorders

“…The validation of the MANQ was the subject of a previous publication. 43 Participants answered all questionnaires except for the MCAS, which case managers completed. Participants' medical records provided complementary clinical data: DSM-IV diagnoses (4 axes), history of suicide attempt and suicidal ideation, number of previous suicide attempts, history of violence, and history of legal problems.…”

Adequacy of Help Received by Individuals with Severe Mental Disorders After a Major Healthcare Reform in Quebec: Predictors and Changes at 5-Year Follow-Up

“…Researchers studying ''unmet needs'' have found that people whose needs go unmet tend to be older (Hansson et al 1995;Middleboe et al 2001) and male (Kulhara et al 2010;Ochoa et al 2003); they have multiple mental disorders (Baksheev et al 2010;Hansson et al 1995), as well as cooccurring drug or alcohol abuse (Baksheev et al 2010;Tremblay et al 2014) They may also experience low quality of life (Bengtsson-Tops and Hansson 1999;Slade et al 2004;Van Busschbach and Wiersma 2002), little social support (Wiersma and van Busschbach 2001), and trouble functioning in the community (Ochoa et al 2003;Slade et al 1999). These patients also consult fewer professionals (Gallagher and Teesson 2000;Lasalvia et al 2000).…”

“…the patient is receiving inadequate support). That is, no distinction is made between a ''serious need'' and the patient's perception of inadequate care, which could lead to misleading study results (Fleury et al 2013;Tremblay et al 2014). Yet some types of help may possibly be adequate for certain needs, which are only apparently ''unmet.''…”

“…The MANQ was adapted from the Camberwell Assessment of Needs (CAN), which is the predominant questionnaire used in clinical studies to identify needs of individuals with SMDs (Joska and Flisher 2005). Whereas the CAN measures perceived AHR based on yes/no questions, the MANQ introduced a 10-point analog scale, which measures changes in perceived AHR more accurately Tremblay et al 2014). In the context of the Quebec Mental Health Action Plan, the first objective of this study was to assess changes in perceived AHR among 204 individuals with SMDs at three points in time: before the mental healthcare reform (T0), and at 2 years (T1) and 5 years (T2) after implementation of the reform.…”

Psychometric Validation of the Korean Version of the Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly in Individuals with Dementia

“…For community-residing individuals with dementia, family caregivers account for the largest share of care provision and often become the source of information on unmet needs. The tasks of dementia caregivers encompass all domains from assisting with daily activities to making decisions on economic and health-care issues [11].…”