Measuring outcomes in outpatient child psychiatry: the contribution of electronic technologies and parent report

Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2011 Jan;16(1):146-60. doi: 10.1177/1359104509352895. Epub 2010 Jun 1.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of electronic technologies on the completion of a standardized rating form in an outpatient child psychiatry clinic, and the feasibility of adding a parent-report measure to the form. An electronic Outcomes Rating Form (e-ORF) was used in conjunction with a web-based patient tracking system and digital pens which allowed form data to be directly entered into a database. Clinician forms were collected for 87% of the 248 children seen for intake, a significant increase over the rate of 72% obtained in the same clinic with paper forms. Rating forms were also obtained from 85% of parents. Clinician- and parent-completed measures were moderately correlated with each other. This study showed that 1) the use of electronic technologies is associated with improved clinician completion rates; 2) it is possible to obtain rating forms from most parents; 3) clinician and parent measures provide related but distinct information; and 4) improvements in functioning found with clinician-report measures are corroborated by independent parent reports.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Data Collection / methods*
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Internet
  • Male
  • Massachusetts
  • Medical Informatics*
  • Mental Disorders / therapy*
  • Outcome Assessment, Health Care / methods*
  • Parents*
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales*
  • Reproducibility of Results