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EMPIRICAL PAPER

How and when feedback works in psychotherapy: Is it the signal?

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Pages 545-555 | Received 07 Aug 2014, Accepted 06 May 2015, Published online: 14 Jul 2015
 

Abstract

Objective: Monitoring of ongoing psychotherapy is of crucial importance in improving the quality of mental health care, and feedback (FB) about patients’ progress has been established as a viable means. The essential feature of FB models is that patient progress is measured continuously through therapy. Aim: This study investigated the effect of receiving a warning signal when a patient is not achieving expected improvement (not-on-track), monitored with the Norwegian version of the patient FB system OQ®-Analyst. Method: Patients from six psychiatric clinics in Southern Norway (N = 259) were randomized to FB or no feedback (NFB). Results: For the total sample, the FB effects appeared early (session three). Receiving a warning signal did not change the slope of patients’ progress after the signal was given (FB versus NFB). FB seemed to be more effective with more severely distressed patients, although insignificant. Therapists indicated that the graphs imaging patient progress, and the accompanying discussion with the patient, were the most important aspects of FB. Conclusions: The use of OQ®-Analyst should be recommended in psychotherapeutic settings in Norway. Given the inconsistent results regarding the effect of warning signals, definitive conclusions about their effect may depend upon how and for whom it is used.

Obiettivo: il monitoraggio nel corso della psicoterapia è di cruciale importanza per il miglioramento della qualità della cura della salute mentale, e il feedback (FB) sullo stato di avanzamento dei pazienti è stato individuato come un valore fondamentale. La caratteristica essenziale dei modelli di FB è che il progresso del paziente viene misurato continuamente nel corso della terapia. Scopo: Questo studio ha esaminato l'effetto di ricevere un segnale di allarme quando un paziente non raggiunge il miglioramento previsto (fuori dalla traiettoria), attraverso la versione norvegese dell’ OQ®-Analyst come sistema di FB del paziente. Metodo: I pazienti di sei cliniche psichiatriche della Norvegia meridionale (N = 259) sono stati randomizzati in due condizioni con FB o senza feedback (NFB). Risultati: Nel campione totale, gli effetti del FB sono comparsi presto (seduta tre). Ricevere un segnale di avvertimento non ha modificato l'andamento del progresso dei pazienti dopo che il segnale era stato dato (FB contro NFB). I FB sembravano essere più efficaci con pazienti più gravi, anche se in modo non significativo. Secondo i terapeuti, i grafici che rappresentavano i progressi del paziente e la contemporanea discussione con il paziente, erano gli aspetti più importanti dei FB. Conclusioni: L'uso del OQ®-Analyst dovrebbe essere raccomandato nei setting psicoterapeutici in Norvegia. Visti i risultati poco significativi relativi all'effetto dei segnali di allarme, conclusioni definitive circa il loro effetto possono dipendere da come e per chi sono utilizzati.

Objetivo: A monitorização da evolução da psicoterapia é de importância crucial na qualidade do fornecimento de cuidados ao nível da saúde mental, e o feedback (FB) acerca do progresso dos pacientes tem sido estabelecido como um meio viável. A natureza essencial dos modelos de FB reside no facto de o progresso do paciente ser medido continuamente ao longo da terapia. Intuito: Este estudo investigou o efeito de receber um sinal de aviso quando um paciente não está a alcançar a melhoria esperada (not-on-track), monitorizado com a versão norueguesa do sistema de FB do paciente OQ®-Analyst. Método: Pacientes de seis clínicas psiquiátricas do Sul da Noruega (N=259) foram randomizados de acordo com a condição FB ou não feedback (NFB). Resultados: Da amostra total, os efeitos do FB apareceram cedo (terceira sessão). Receber um sinal de aviso não mudou o declive do progresso dos pacientes após a receção do sinal (FB versus NFB). O FB parece ser mais efetivo com pacientes mais severamente perturbados, embora não significativo. Os terapeutas indicaram que os gráficos representativos do progresso dos pacientes e a discussão conjunta dos mesmos foram aspetos mais importantes de FB. Conclusões: O uso do OQ®-Analyst deverá ser recomendado em contextos psicoterapêuticos na Noruega. Dada a inconsistência dos resultados relativamente aos sinais de aviso, conclusões definitivas acerca dos seus efeitos poderão depender de como e para quem são utilizados.

Ziel: Das Monitoring der laufenden Psychotherapie ist von entscheidender Wichtigkeit für die Verbesserung der Qualität der psychischen Gesundheitsversorgung und hierfür wurde Feedback (FB) über den Patientenfortschritt als eine brauchbare Möglichkeit etabliert. Die wesentliche Eigenschaft von FB-Modellen ist, dass der Patientenfortschritt kontinuierlich während der Therapie gemessen wird. Diese Studie untersuchte den Effekt des Erhalts eines Warnsignals, wenn ein Patient den erwarteten Fortschritt nicht erreicht (not-on-track), welches anhand der norwegischen Version des Patienten-FB-Systems OQ®-Analyst gegeben wurde. Methode: Patienten von sechs psychiatrischen Kliniken im Süden Norwegens (N=259) erhielten randomisiert entweder FB oder kein Feedback (NFB). Ergebnisse: Für die gesamte Stichprobe traten die FB-Effekte früh (dritte Sitzung) auf. Der Erhalt eines Warnsignals veränderte die Steigung des Patientenfortschritts, nachdem das Signal gegeben wurde, nicht (FB versus NFB). FB schien für schwerer belastete Patienten effektiver zu sein, wenn auch nicht signifikant. Die Therapeuten gaben an, dass die graphische Abbildung des Patientenfortschritts und die damit einhergehende Besprechung mit dem Patienten die wichtigsten Aspekte des FB darstellten. Schlussfolgerungen: Die Verwendung des OQ®-Analyst sollte in psychotherapeutischen Behandlungssettings in Norwegen empfohlen werden. Aufgrund der inkonsistenten Befunde bezüglich des Effekts von Warnsignalen, könnte ein definitives Fazit über ihre Effekte von der Art des Einsatzes und der betroffenen Patientenpopulation abhängen.

目的:檢視進行中的心理治療對促進心理健康照顧的品質很重要,而提供進展的回饋給病患(FB)已是一個可行的方法。回饋模式的基本特色是在治療中連續測量病患的進展。目的:本研究在調查當病患未達預期進展(未上軌道)而收到預警信號的效果,以挪威版病患回饋分析系統(the Norwegian version of the patient FB system OQ®-Analyst)加以檢視。方法:將來自挪威南部六家精神科診所共259位病患,隨機分派到回饋組(FB)或非回饋組(NFB)。結果:在所有樣本中,回饋組在初期即顯示效果(第三次晤談)。但是回饋組在接收到預警信號後,並未改變進展的情形(相較於非回饋組)。回饋組中,重度壓力病患的效果似乎比較好,但是未達顯著差異。治療師指出圖像化進展的情形與陪伴病患討論皆是回饋組最重要的部分。結論:挪威的心理治療系統應推廣運用挪威版病患回饋分析系統。至於預警信號效果的不一致,確切的結論需視如何以及使用在哪些人身上。

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank patients and staff from the Modum Bad Outpatient Clinic and Drammen and Baerum District Psychiatric Centers who have delivered clinical data to this study.

Notes

1 In our trial (Amble et al., Citationin press), we found that the proportion of patients going off track was not influenced by whether FB was provided (41.0%) or not (44.4%). We examined these proportions in 10 previous OQ-45 FB studies, and in none of these 10 studies were there any significant differences in the proportion of patients going off track as a function of FB. Over the 10 studies, 29.2% went off track in the FB conditions and 28.6% went off track in the no FB conditions (χ2 = 0.71, p = .71).

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Health, Extrastiftelsen (The Norwegian Council for Mental Health), and Modum Bad Psychiatric Center.

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