Development and evaluation of Intensive Case Management Screening Sheet in the Japanese population.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Mental Health Services Research
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Japan's mental health system is transitioning from inpatient to community-based care.
• Intensive Case Management (ICM) services are increasingly being adopted.
• An Intensive Case Management Screening Sheet (ICMSS) was developed to identify patients needing ICM.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the ICMSS.
• To assess the discriminative ability of the ICMSS in identifying the need for ICM services.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 911 individuals with mental illness.
• ICMSS scores were assessed by mental health professionals (nurses, social workers, occupational therapists).
• Psychometric properties were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis; discriminative ability was assessed via ROC analysis.

Main Results:

• Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis supported a one-factor structure with 14 items.
• ICMSS demonstrated significantly better discriminative ability than the Global Assessment of Functioning and Personal and Social Performance Scale.
• The Area Under the Curve (AUC) for ICMSS was moderate, suggesting a combination of quantitative assessment and clinical judgment is optimal.

Conclusions:

• The ICMSS is a brief, practical tool for mental health professionals in routine clinical settings.
• The ICMSS is expected to be utilized across various disciplines in Japanese mental health institutions.
• The study recommends using ICMSS alongside clinical judgment for determining the need for ICM services.