The Effectiveness of a Decision-Support Tool for Adult Consumers With Mental Health Needs and Their Care Managers

The primary goal of the proposed study is to investigate the implementation and effectiveness of the mPOWR (Moving Patient-centered Outcomes through Wellness and Recovery) in diverse urban and rural community mental health settings. The study compares patient participation and outcomes using the mPOWR system to a usual care control condition. Four community mental health agencies participate in the research: two in San Francisco (urban) and two in N.M. (rural). One site in each setting serves as the mPOWR implementation site and the other serves as the control site. Service sites were randomly assigned to intervention or usual care conditions. A quasi experimental design was used; only eligible participants were enrolled in the study (e.g., exclusion criteria of moderate to severe cognitive impairment, patient services structured for provision of mPOWR implementation, etc.). The study design will employ repeated quantitative measures to assess change in outcomes within and across conditions over time. Qualitative methods in the form of focus group interviews will also be used to round out the information obtained about patient and provider expectations and experiences. Primary outcomes of interest include: Short Form Health Survey-12 (SF-12; physical and mental health aspects of health and well-being); Outcome Rating Scale (ORS; general well-being, personal well-being, close relationships, and work/school/friend relationships); Shared Decision Making Questionnaire (congruence of patient's and provider's participation in therapeutic decision making and patient's understanding of treatment and treatment options); Working Alliance Inventory (perception of therapeutic alliance); and Satisfaction Questionnaire (communication patterns between physicians and their patients).