Is intensive case management screening sheet score associated with service intensity?

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Mental Health Services Research
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Japan's mental health system implemented the Intensive Case Management Screening Sheet (ICMSS) in April 2020.
• The ICMSS aims to identify patients requiring case management services.
• Evaluating the ICMSS's effectiveness in predicting service intensity is essential for optimizing resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between Intensive Case Management Screening Sheet (ICMSS) scores and the intensity of case management services received by patients.
• To compare the predictive power of the ICMSS for service intensity against other established scales, such as the Global Assessment Functioning (GAF) and Personal and Social Performance (PSP) scales.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 138 patients receiving case management services from psychiatric outpatient, day-care, or outreach teams was recruited.
• Patient needs and functioning were assessed using the ICMSS, GAF, and PSP.
• Service utilization was documented over a two-month period, and associations with scale scores were analyzed using Spearman correlation and Poisson regression.

Main Results:

• A weak but significant positive correlation was found between ICMSS scores and total service duration (ρ = 0.320).
• Poisson regression models indicated that the ICMSS score had a significantly larger coefficient (B = 0.144) for predicting service intensity compared to GAF (B = -0.017) and PSP (B = -0.016) scores.
• The ICMSS demonstrated a stronger association with service intensity than GAF and PSP scales.

Conclusions:

• The Intensive Case Management Screening Sheet (ICMSS) shows potential as a preliminary tool for assessing case management service needs.
• However, the intensity of services should ultimately be determined by individual patient needs and a shared decision-making process between patients and case managers.
• Further research may refine the use of ICMSS in conjunction with clinical judgment for personalized mental healthcare planning.