Routine outcome monitoring (ROM) early in treatment and disorder specific. Observational study into generic and specific questionnaires to measure the early change in depression treatment

BACKGROUND: Mental health care institutions use routine outcome monitoring (ROM) to determine whether a patient responds well to treatment. However, it has been still unanswered whether disorder specific or generic measurement instruments can best be used for this purpose. In addition, little is known about when a first indication can be given for the outcome of the treatment. AIM: To provide insight into the sensitivity to change of two questionnaires: a generic and a specific one, which were both used for clients with a depressive disorder. An additional objective is to provide insight into when a first indication can be given for the outcome of the treatment. METHOD: An observational cohort study with data from 518 patients with a depressive disorder. The Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45.2) and the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS-SR) were used to measure the course of treatment. RESULTS: The depression specific IDS-SR appeared to be more sensitive to change than the generic OQ-45.2, especially at the beginning of treatment. With a measurement frequency of once every four weeks, the best time to get a first indication on the outcome of the treatment was between week 4 and week 8. CONCLUSION: For clients and practitioners whose treatment focus is reducing depressive symptoms, a disorder specific questionnaire is preferable to monitor this. The measurement between 4 and 8 weeks is important for, if necessary, adjusting the treatment, and to improve the treatment outcome.