Routine outcome measurement in public mental health — what do clinicians think?

IN ORDER TO FULLY EVALUATE and manage a service, one should be able to answer all parts of the question ?Who receives what services, from whom, at what cost, and with what effect??1 While there is good information on the first four elements, mental health services generally do less well in demonstrating the effectiveness of what they do, and it is here that routine outcome measurement (ROM) can make a contribution. Despite the very real progress that has been made in implementing ROM in Australia it is evident from a variety of sources, formal and informal, that not everyone is convinced of its necessity or value.