Measuring outcomes in adult outpatient psychiatry.

Despite growing pressure for accountability, mental health professionals continue to debate the value of routinely measuring treatment outcomes. This paper sought to move the outcomes measurement debate forward by reviewing some of the current limitations in outcomes methodology and by providing initial strategies to address them. Using these strategies, we evaluated outcomes for a large diagnostically diverse group of adult outpatients receiving treatment as usual (TAU) within an academic medical centre.

Benefits of an Outpatient Psychiatric TeleConsultation Unit: Results of a 1-Year Pilot.

BACKGROUND: A Psychiatric TeleConsultation Unit (PTCU) was created at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in response to critical changes in the health care delivery system. The PTCU's design was based on an understanding of the needs of primary care physicians (PCPs) at MGH, as derived from PCPs' responses to a survey and at focus groups. The PTCU was designed to supply psychiatric expertise to PCPs on a "1 phone call away" basis and to assist the MGH in supporting an increasingly large network of PCPs by expanding access to the MGH's psychiatric staff and services.