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Keywords:

Monitoring attitude, Outcome measurement questionnaire, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Health Policy & Services, Public, Environmental & Occupational Health, Health Care Sciences & Services, Validation, Outcome Measurement Questionnaire, Implementation, Training and education, Work setting, FEEDBACK, PATIENT, PSYCHOTHERAPY, INDEXES, Adult, Aged, Attitude of Health Personnel, Counselors, Factor Analysis, Statistical, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care, Psychotherapy, Reproducibility of Results, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult, 1103 Clinical Sciences, 1117 Public Health and Health Services, 1701 Psychology, Psychiatry, 4203 Health services and systems, 5201 Applied and developmental psychology, 5203 Clinical and health psychology

Abstract:

Valid and reliable instruments to measure monitoring attitudes of clinicians are scarce. The influence of sociodemographics and professional characteristics on monitoring attitudes is largely unknown. First, we investigated the factor structure and reliability of the Outcome Measurement Questionnaire among a sample of Flemish mental health professionals (n = 170). Next, we examined the relationship between clinicians' sociodemographic and professional characteristics and monitoring attitudes. Construct validity was determined using a confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was ascertained using Cronbach's alpha. Mean level differences in monitoring attitudes related to clinicians' gender, work setting, level of education and psychotherapeutic training, were investigated using ANOVAs. The relationships between clinicians' age, clinical experience and attitudes were calculated using the Pearson correlation coefficient. A model with one general factor and a method factor referring to reverse-worded items best fitted our data. Internal consistency was good. Clinicians with psychotherapeutic training reported more favorable monitoring attitudes than those without such training. Compared to clinicians working in subsidized outpatient services, private practitioners and clinicians from inpatient mental health clinics had more positive attitudes. Results highlight the need for sustained and targeted training, with particular focus on transforming measurement data into meaningful clinical support tools.