Comparing outcome measures of persons with severe mental illness in vocational rehabilitation programs: A dual perspective of consumers and providers

By: Gal G., Shadmi E., Hoter-Ishay G., Gelkopf M., Roe D.
Published in: International Journal for Quality in Health Care
SDGs : SDG 03  |  Units: Social Welfare & Health Sciences  | Time: 2021 |  Link
Description: Objective: Vocational rehabilitation for people with severe mental illness (SMI) has many benefits. Among the existing m odels, supported employment has consistently shown to have better impact on vocational outcomes while the findings on non-vocational outcomes are inconsistent. One source of variation with regard to non-vocational outcomes could be related to differences between consumers’ self-reports and the providers’ point of view. Design: A cross-sectional study of people with SMI consuming three different vocational services and their service providers. Setting: Data were collected as part of the Israeli Psychiatric Rehabilitation Patient Reported Outcome Measurement project. Participants: The current data is based on 3666 pairs of people with SMI consuming vocational services and their service providers. Interventions: Vocational services included supported employment, sheltered workshops and vocational support centers. Main Outcome Measures: The consumers-filled self-report questionnaires, which consisted of the following patient-reported outcome measurements (PROMs): Quality of life, functioning and illness management. Primary professional providers were given instruments that mirrored the ones designed for self-report. Results: According to providers’ ratings, supported employment was associated with higher functioning (F = 78.6, P < 0.001) and illness management (F = 33.0, P < 0.001) compared to other vocational services. PROMs revealed that supported employment was associated with higher functioning only (F = 31.5, P < 0.001). Consumers rated themselves higher compared to providers on all measures. Conclusions: This study provides a deeper insight into non-vocational outcomes of people with SMI participating in vocational services and suggests differences in perspectives between consumers and providers with regard to outcome measures. © 2020 Crown copyright.