Carers' and Users' Expectations of Services - User version (CUES-U): A new instrument to measure the experience of users of mental health services

Abstract

Background: No existing instrument measures all or even most of the issues considered important by users of mental health services. Aims: To develop and test a self-assessment instrument to enable users of mental health services to rate their experience across the range of domains that they consider to be important. Method: Relevant domains were identified and a new instrument was drafted and field tested to examine its psychometric properties. Results: The 17-item, self-rated Carers' and Users' Expectations of Services - User version (CUES-U) appears acceptable to most service users. Its items have reasonable test-retest reliability and a 'total CUES-U score' correlates significantly with a total score of the Health of the Nations Outcome Scales (Spearman's ρ=0.42; P<0.01). Conclusions: The development and testing of CUES-U suggest that it might be feasible to apply a self-rated measure of the expectations and experience of users of mental health services. Declaration of interest: None. This work was funded by a Department of Health Policy Research Programme grant under the Outcomes of Social Care for Adults initiative.