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The use of the Camberwell Assessment of Need in treatment: what unmet needs can be met?

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Abstract

Background

A useful way of operationalising treatment effects in routine outcome assessment data may be to assess the rate at which unmet needs at time point t change to met needs at time point t + 1.

Methods

Data were obtained from the local Cumulative Needs for Care Register (CNCR), a cumulative data set of needs (Camberwell Assessment of Need), psychopathology, well being and functioning of psychiatric patients living both inside and outside the hospital, in a circumscribed geographical area.

Results

In the group of relatively new patients, the number of met needs (sum score) increased over time. Higher unmet needs sum score predicted higher met needs at time point t + 1. Unmet needs in the areas of accommodation, household skills, self-care, safety to others (in new patients only), alcohol, drugs, money and benefits were associated with met needs on these items at time point t + 1, but there was no such association for occupation/daytime activities, psychotic symptoms, psychological distress and self-harm.

Conclusion

Treatment outcomes in psychiatric practice can be usefully tracked and quantified using the rate of change from unmet to met needs. Needs in the area of the ability to live independently may represent outcomes that are more sensitive to treatment effects than needs in the realm of psychopathology and daytime activities.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support by ZonMW, the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development. The authors are grateful to all mental health care workers in the region, who administered CNCM-forms for use in the individual treatment of patients, with data collection as a side effect.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, P.O.Box 616, Location Vijverdal, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Marjan Drukker PhD, Kim van Dillen MD, Maarten Bak MD, PhD, Ron Mengelers, Jim van Os MD, PhD & Philippe Delespaul PhD

  2. Youth Health Care Division, Public Health Service South Limburg, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Marjan Drukker PhD

  3. Mondriaan Zorggroep, Heerlen, The Netherlands

    Kim van Dillen MD & Philippe Delespaul PhD

  4. Psycope, Assertive Community Teams, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Maarten Bak MD, PhD

  5. Division of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK

    Jim van Os MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Marjan Drukker PhD
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  2. Kim van Dillen MD
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  3. Maarten Bak MD, PhD
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  4. Ron Mengelers
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  5. Jim van Os MD, PhD
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  6. Philippe Delespaul PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marjan Drukker PhD.

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Drukker, M., van Dillen, K., Bak, M. et al. The use of the Camberwell Assessment of Need in treatment: what unmet needs can be met?. Soc Psychiat Epidemiol 43, 410–417 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-007-0301-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-007-0301-1

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