An overview is presented of twelve Dutch Mental Health Care instruments, developed in the past ten years, for the assessment of the quality of care from the patients' point of view. Inclusion criteria for the study were instruments which were, at least in part, psychometrically tested and applied in mental health care. The twelve instruments which met these criteria were evaluated with regard to the source (who is responsible for the design), target group and setting, domains of care, psychometric properties.
The studied instruments focus on a specific mental health setting. Most instruments lack relevant psychometric information and have not (yet) been implemented in the daily practice of mental health care.
Conclusion: A standard instrument is needed with adequate psychometric properties and suitable for all mental health settings. Such an instrument will enable caregivers to evaluate the quality of their care compared to other settings and thus further improve the quality of care.