Background: The quality of mental health treatment has not progressed to the same extent as physical health treatment. Suboptimal mental health outcomes may be attributed to the lack of a systematic approach to measuring quality and patient progress. In psychiatry, Measurement-Based Care (MBC) offers an objective, systematic approach to monitoring clinical progress, informing treatment decisions, and evaluating treatment efficacy, yet remains seldom used in daily practice.

Purpose: This review aims to identify the clinical impact of MBC in psychiatry and compare MBC to the usual standard of care.

Methods: Using the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Model as a guideline, this integrative review focused on the research query “What is the clinical benefit of Measurement-Based Care when treating patients with mental illness?” A comprehensive literature search was conducted, and The PRISMA Flow Diagram was used to capture the data.

Findings: A total of nine articles met the inclusion criteria for this integrative review. The articles ranged from 2008-2021 and were set in Sweden, China, and the U.S. The following three themes were identified from the analysis of these articles: (1) the clinical impact of MBC on patient outcomes (2) provider attitudes about MBC (3) the feasibility and barriers to MBC implementation.

Conclusions: MBC, when used to augment the usual standard of care, provides an objective, systematic approach to monitoring symptom severity and treatment effectiveness. This review highlights the clinical benefits of MBC, including increased remission rates, lower risk of relapse, and improved medication adherence. Other benefits identified include improved communication, increased patient engagement, and a more collaborative approach to care. While this review provides an overview of the benefits of MBC in psychiatry, there remains a substantial practice gap that warrants further investigation.

Ms. Janine DeSimone

Suffolk Psychiatric NP Services / Johns Hopkins University

Appearances