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Are current mental health assessment formats consistent with contemporary thinking and practice?
Timothy Wand1, Sally Buchanan-Hagen2, Kate Derrick3
1Emergency Department, Mental Health Liaison, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, University of Sydney andSydney Local Health District, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.
International Journal of Mental Health Nursing
|September 10, 2019
Summary
Australian and New Zealand mental health assessments need updating. Current formats focus on problems rather than recovery, strengths, and individual perspectives.
Area of Science:
- Mental Health Services Research
- Clinical Assessment Tools
- Healthcare Practice Evaluation
Background:
- Mental health assessment is a core clinical and organizational activity.
- Contemporary mental health care emphasizes recovery, trauma-informed care, and strengths-based approaches.
- The alignment of current assessment practices with these principles requires investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the extent to which recovery, trauma-informed care, and strengths-based concepts are integrated into mental health assessment formats.
- To compare assessment tools used across Australia and New Zealand.
- To identify discrepancies between current assessment practices and contemporary mental health care principles.
Main Methods:
- A comparative analysis of 11 mental health assessment formats from Australian states/territories and New Zealand District Health Boards.
- Examination of assessment content for the presence of recovery, trauma-informed care, and strengths-based principles.
- Identification of traditional features versus contemporary concepts within the formats.
Main Results:
- The analyzed mental health assessment formats predominantly feature traditional elements focused on identifying problems, risks, and pathology.
- While some efforts to incorporate newer concepts were observed, they were insufficient.
- Assessment formats generally failed to capture the individual's perspective, including strengths, skills, past successes, and future aspirations.
Conclusions:
- Mental health assessment formats in Australia and New Zealand are not adequately aligned with current best practices in mental health care.
- There is an urgent need to revise assessment tools to better reflect principles of recovery, trauma-informed care, and strengths-based approaches.
- Reappraising the focus and content of mental health assessments is crucial due to their significant impact on clinical decision-making.
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