Assessment of parents' concerns and evaluation of outcomes

Abstract

Background: Clinical and service evaluation often fails to accommodate sufficiently to parental perspectives and priorities concerning health interventions. Although parent satisfaction questionnaires are widely used, these assess issues chosen by the researcher. Quality of life research methods, however, can assess individual priorities. Methods: A Schedule for Evaluation of Quality of Life was adapted to record the nature, and relative importance of parental concerns about their child before child psychiatric hospital admission. Level of concern or worry was assessed pre- and post-admission, and at 1 year follow-up, with a waiting-list control. Data were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively for individuals and groups of cases. Results: The adapted instrument was feasible and clinically useful. It did not show repeated measurement effects but was sensitive to the effects of intervention (hospital admission). Effects (reduction in levels of concern) remained evident at 1 year follow-up. Conclusion: The instrument is brief, non-intrusive, and sensitive to change. It has utility for clinical case evaluation. It may complement satisfaction questionnaires, and has advantages over rating scales for the evaluation of treatment outcomes.