Psychometrics - Measuring Mental Recovery
Psychometrics are a highly technical and statistically-intensive field of mental health recovery research. They can be used to measure a person's mental healthcare consumer’s recovery from a mental disorder. This development requires large amounts of data over many years, along with the participation statisticians, psychologists and psychiatrists, as well as computer programmers, information system experts, clinical case managers, and information system specialists. It is not easy to develop legitimate, statistically supported psychometrics. However, once these instruments are created, they can be crucial for the recovery of mental illness and for the creation of a research collaboration for faster trend recognition.
The cost of psychometrics can vary greatly in terms of what they measure, and even more importantly, how much they cost. The fees range from Basis 24, which costs a low annual fee and a small charge per additional facility that the mental health facility is using the survey at to clinical efficiency metrics, which can cost up to $10,000 plus hours of costly consultation fees. It might seem that such fees are excessive for clinics with little to offer in today's economy. But is it worth it.
Some people say yes, others say no. According to a variety of sources, 60% of hospitals now use efficiency IT systems which have dramatically reduced their costs. Smaller mental health clinics also report cost savings and gains after adopting the IT packages. So while clinical efficiency metrics seem like good investments, what about legitimate psychometrics?
This one is still up for debate. It appears that recovery-based clinics like MHCD hold psychometrics to measure a consumer's mental health in higher regard then traditional treatment facilities and certainly higher than state hospitals.
Talking to a few executives from these facilities, it was discovered that recovery-minded centers believe in the development and spread of psychometrics in order to create a common language between professionals. Imagine a clinic implementing a new treatment plan to treat paranoid schizophrenia. When asked if it was effective, the clinicians replied "yes!" Over a period of three months, it changed our XYZ stats five times and increased our ABC readings 30%. That sounds great, but what does it actually mean?
This conversation becomes more meaningful when practitioners use the same instruments to communicate. Practitioners can also begin to compare their results to determine which programs and how they are implemented to help patients recover from mental illness.
In my research, I have come across many different psychometrics. Basis 24 is a fairly common psychometric. Netsmart offers a variety of IT products that can be used by healthcare professionals. Prices can also vary from free (mostly because psychometrics development is still relatively new so such instruments are often still in Beta testing phase) to thousands of dollars.
Also you can find out about their biggest psychometric project, Reaching Recovery
The new recovery movement seems to be characterized by the ability to measure mental health and speed up recovery from mental illnesses. We are entering exciting times as psychometrics allow for even more accurate treatment and faster recovery from severe and persistent mental illnesses.
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