Evaluating the Reliability of the Needs in Recovery Assessment (NiRA) with Simulated Patients.

The Needs in Recovery Assessment (NiRA) is a tool designed to support recovery-oriented and person-centred approaches in mental health services through facilitating the identification and prioritisation of needs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the interrater reliability of the NiRA. Ten mental health clinicians from various professional backgrounds used the NiRA to facilitate assessment interviews with Simulated Patients. Completed and semi-completed NiRA forms, questionnaires, and audio-visual recordings of assessment interviews were collected for analysis. The interrater reliability of the NiRA was calculated using percent agreement and Gwet's Agreement Coefficient (AC). Percent agreement across all items of the finalised tool was 0.84 (item range: 0.55 to 1.0). Overall interrater reliability (Gwet's AC) was 0.70 (95% CI 0.64-0.76) with items ranging from -0.08 to 1.0. The NiRA is a reliable tool and is ready to be trialled in a feasibility study in clinical settings. It is anticipated that the NiRA will facilitate a deeper understanding of service users' needs and a more targeted approach to meeting unmet needs.