Welcome to the EPA 2022 Interactive Programme 

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BACKGROUND Against the treatment gap and the long delays in seeking treatment for mental health problems, primary care psychology (PCP) was added to reimbursed outpatient mental health services in the Belgian healthcare system.

PURPOSE Within the Evaluation of Primary Care Psychology study (EPCAP), which provides evaluation of the measure of reimbursement of PCP, the objectives were: (1) To describe the patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) of patients treated with PCP and (2) formulate guidelines to integrate patient-related findings and experiences within community mental health services.

METHOD 428 patients participated in an online survey at the start of their PCP treatment in Belgium and after 3 and 6 months. Besides sociodemographic characteristics, DSM-5 mental disorders, suicidality, and service use, they were questioned about their findings (PROMs) and experiences (PREMs). 

RESULTS Almost 90% met the criteria of a lifetime as a 12-month DSM-5 mental disorder or STB at the start of PCP treatment. Both subjective well-being and the proportion of patients who had positive experiences regarding their PCP treatment increased with 46% resp. 23.2% after 3 months and remained stable after 6 months.

CONCLUSION Although PCP in Belgium serves a clinical patient population with high proportions of lifetime and 12-month mental disorders and suicidality, their subjective well-being increased after 3 months and remained stable after 6 months. Despite differences between groups of patients, PCP seems to have a positive effect on subjective well-being of these patient in short term. Integration of PROMs and PREMs into PCP were recommended.

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Background: Measuring and interpreting outcome is challenging in mental health services than in some other areas of health care.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to (1) explore results of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) in psychiatric hospital settings, (2) describe the relation between generic PROMs (measure of well-being) and specific PROMs (disorder-specific symptom assessments), (3) describe the congruence between patients and clinicians evaluation of the care experience (based on Patients reported experience measures and Clinician reported experience measures).

Methods: A total of 269 consecutive patients participated in this study.

Results: (1) Subjective experience of well-being (outcome) improved after hospitalisation (+15%, avg). High satisfaction with subjective experience of care (85%, avg). (2) Significant correlation between patients’ assessment of subjective well-being (generic PROMs) and clinical improvement (specific PROMs) (p <0.007). (3) Significant correlation between patient and clinician experience of care (p= 0.002).

Conclusions: One of the first French studies on the use of standardised PROMs and PREMs in psychiatric hospital settings. Results suggest that subjective well-being measures complement the assessment of the patient's clinical symptoms and social functioning. The effectiveness of care depends on the consideration of these three dimensions. The use of core patient-reported measures, as part of systematic measurement and performance monitoring in mental health care, provides valuable input to the clinicians’ practice.

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Background: Eating disorders (EDs) are severe psychiatric disorders which, when left untreated, can lead to psychosocial impairment, physical disability and death. In the United Kingdom, many specialist ED services collect routine outcome measures (ROMs) which serve to assess illness severity, patients' quality of life and function. The repeated collection of ROMs over the course of treatment allows for the objective evaluation of patient progress towards recovery. Recent National Health Service (NHS) guidance on adult ED care in England suggests that all services should use ROMs, not just to track progress, but also to support the achievement of collaboratively identified, person-specific recovery goals, to empower patients and inform individualised treatment. To achieve this objective, clinicians need access to psychometrically sound ROMs which can be utilised in a collaborative and person-centred manner. Traditionally, ROMs have been collected using standardised patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), but increasingly individualised PROMs (i-PROMs) are also being developed. Methods & Findings: In this talk I will review the ‘why, what and how’ of ROMs, PROMs, I-PROMS and of associated normative and ipsative feedback on these measures in the eating disorders context. Conclusions: Use of PROMs has much to be commended both in regard to treating individual patients, at service level and also the wider health care system.