Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T01:37:08.240Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Training in the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales: An Australasian Opportunity to Integrate Cultural Context in Mental Health Outcome Ratings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 February 2012

Tim Coombs  and
Paul Hirini
Tim Coombs
Affiliation:
New South Wales Institute of Psychiatry, Australia
Paul Hirini*
Affiliation:
Deakin University, Australia
*
School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne Campus at Burwood, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

This article draws on the experience of training mental health professionals as part of the New Zealand Casemix Classification and Outcomes Study (NZ-CaOS) and outlines the training conducted in the use of the primary measure, the Health of the Nation Outcomes Scales (HoNOS). It identifies the need to extend training to consider the contexts of culturally diverse populations, and describes assessment and interpretation implications for the introduction of this measure as part of routine clinical practice in Australia and New Zealand. Training in the HoNOS provides an opportunity to support the continued development of culturally responsive assessment in Australasian clinical practice. However, these opportunities will only be realised if there is continued development of how outcome measurement tools such as the HoNOS are interpreted and rated, and continued consideration of the role that cultural context plays in the lives and presentation of mental health consumers.

Type
Articles
Information
The Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling , Volume 11 , Issue 1 , January 2005 , pp. 34 - 39
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Atkinson, D., & Lowe, S. (1995). The role of ethnicity, cultural knowledge, and conventional techniques in counselling and psychotherapy. In Ponetrotto, J., Casas, J., Suzuki, S., & Alexander, C. (Eds.). Handbook of multicultural counselling. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Buckingham, W., Burgess, P., Solomon, S., Pirkis, J., Eagar, K. (1998). Developing a casemix classification for mental health services. Volume 1: Main report. Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services.Google Scholar
Cheng, A. (2001). Case definition and culture: are people all the same? The British Journal of Psychiatry, 179, 1–3.Google Scholar
Chipps, J., Raphael, B., & Coombs, T. (2002) The Mental Health Outcomes and Assessment Tools Training project: Creating the foundation for improved quality of care. NSW Public Health Bulletin, 13 (11–12), 237–238.Google Scholar
Ciarlo, J.A. (1982). Accountability revisited: the arrival of client outcome evaluation. Evaluation and Program Planning, 5, 31–36.Google Scholar
Durie, M.H. (1977). Maori attitudes to sickness, doctors and hospitals. New Zealand Medical Journal, 86, 483–485.Google Scholar
Durie, M.H. (1998). Whaiora. Maori Health Development. (2nd ed.). Auckland, New Zealand: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Gaines, P., Bower, A., Buckingham, W., Eagar, K., Burgess, P. & Green, J. (2003). New Zealand Mental Health Classification and Outcomes study: Final report. Auckland, New Zealand: Health Research Council of New Zealand.Google Scholar
Health Research Council of New Zealand. (1998). Guidelines for researchers on health research involving Māori. Auckland, New Zealand: Author.Google Scholar
Kirmayer, L., & Young, A. (1998). Culture and somatization: Clinical, epidemiological, and ethnographic perspectives. Psychosomatic Medicine 60(4), 420–430.Google Scholar
Ministry of Health. (1997). Moving forward: The National Plan for More and Better Mental Health Services. Wellington, New Zealand: Author.Google Scholar
Mental Health Research and Development Strategy. (2004). Mental health standard measures of assessment and recovery (MH-SMART) Outcomes Initiative. Retrieved from http://www.mhrds.govt.nz/dynz.aspx?ID1=36kID2=34Google Scholar
Steinwachs, D.M., Fischer, E.P. and Lehman, A.F. (1996). Outcomes assessment: Information for improving mental health care. New Directions for Mental Health Services, 71, 49–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trauer, T., Coombs, T. & Eagar, K. (2002). Training in routine mental health outcome assessment: The Victorian experience. Australian Health Review, 25, 122–128.Google Scholar
Trauer, T., Eagar, K., Gaines, P., & Bower, A. (2004). New Zealand Mental Health Consumers and their Outcomes. Auckland, New Zealand: Health Research Council of New Zealand.Google Scholar
Wing, J.K., Beevor, A.S., Curtis, R.H., Park, S.B.G., Hadden, S. & Burns, A. (1998). Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS). British Journal of Psychiatry, 172, 11–18.Google Scholar