Patients’ Needs as an Outcome Measure in Schizophrenia

Abstract

Introduction

Outcome assessment has been highlighted as a crucial factor in the evaluation and transformation of mental health services, providing evidences for the improvement of clinical practice.

Objective

This is the first clinical study in Greece to investigate the relationship between the crucial outcome measures of needs, quality of life, disability and psychopathology for patients suffering from schizophrenia. Furthermore, service evaluation based on the assessment of the above outcome measures has never taken place in the country.

Aims

To examine the associations between the patients’ needs and other treatment outcome indicators:

– quality of life;

– disability;

– dimensions of schizophrenia symptomatology.

Method

The CAN-R, WHOQOL-BREF, WHODAS 2.0 and PANSS scales were administered to a sample of fifty-three schizophrenia patients and the correlations between the above outcome measures were computed.

Results

(1) Significant negative correlations emerged between the total number of needs and unmet needs and subjectively assessed quality of life. (2) Significant positive correlations emerged between the total number of needs and unmet needs and subjectively assessed disability. (3) Significant positive correlations were found between the dimensions of schizophrenia symptomatology (positive/negative/general) and the total number of needs in our sample.

Conclusion

According to our findings:

– as the number of unmet needs increases patients’ quality of life is lowered;

– a possible relationship exists between unmet needs and subjectively assessed disability;

– a possible relationship exists between needs and all the dimensions of schizophrenia symptomatology.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.