Implementing routine outcome measurement in psychiatric rehabilitation services in Israel

In this article we present the design, development and implementation of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Routine Outcome Measurement (PR-ROM) project, the first systematic effort to implement mental health routine outcome measures in Israel. The goal of the PR-ROM is to provide updated information about the process and impact of psychiatric rehabilitation services in Israel and to establish a sustainable infrastructure and foundation for routine outcome monitoring of rehabilitation services to improve care, inform policy, generate incentives for service improvement, increase informed decision-making and provide data for research purposes. The rehabilitation services evaluated and the characteristics of the population being served are described and the methods and nature of the collected data as well as some preliminary findings are presented. We discuss the major barriers encountered, our efforts to deal with them and lessons learned during the process. We conclude with a description of the current state of the initiative and plans for the future.