How do we know it works? : mental health service evaluation, recovery and routine outcome measurement

The introduction of standardised instruments to measure the outcomes of mental health services is now well advanced in Australia. At the same time, consumer participation in all aspects of mental health service delivery, including evaluation, is now firmly positioned with Australian mental health policy. However, considerable evidence now exists to support the view that consumers have not been active participants in the development and implementation of routine outcome measures, and that the instruments used do not necessarily reflect consumer priorities. The aim of this paper is to discuss consumer participation in the evaluation of services in relation to the introduction of routine outcome measurement. More specifically this discussion is set within the context of the recovery movement, and the inherent incompatibility between outcome measurement and the recovery movement is explored.