Summary
background In order to use outcome scores for making decisions about treatment, practitioners need to know the course of scores of several groups of patients.
aim To test the applicability of methods for computing cut-off scores and individual changes.
method Using Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS), we analysed repeated assessments of 699 adults and 414 elderly patients in different treatment settings.
results Mean HoNOS scores and cut-off scores differentiated between patient groups reasonably well. Scores and threshold values for elderly patients were relatively high. The reliable change index showed few individual changes even for groups where change was expected. The effect size and the standard error of measurement were found to be more sensitive to change.
Conclusion More research is needed before the findings can be generalised.