Measure Type:

Mental health consumer satisfaction outcome

Measure:

Percentage of persons (aged 18 and older) or their family members or both who are satisfied with: (a) access to mental health services, (b) appropriateness of services, and (c) perceptions of gain in personal outcomes.

Numerator:

All adults or family members of adults who are surveyed or both and are satisfied with access to and appropriateness of mental health services and gain in personal outcomes.

Denominator:

All adults or family members surveyed or both who use mental health services.

Rationale for Measure:

Satisfaction of the person using mental health services is a critical measure of the viability of service programs. If consumers are not satisfied with services, they may not use them.

Limitations of Measure:

Variations in consumer satisfaction surveys across states make interstate comparisons problematic.

Use of Measure:

This outcome measure should be used in conjunction with relevant process and capacity measures in order to gain a sense of whether the actions taken by the state agencies are having the desired impact.

Data Resources:

MHSIP Report Card Survey; state surveys.

Limitations of Data:

The MHSIP Report Card Survey is in early stages of implementation; the availability of the data may differ by states. State surveys may be limited by numerous sources of error: e.g., coverage error, which is the result of neglecting to measure all parts of the population; non-response error, which is caused by individuals who refuse the survey or cannot be located; and sampling error, which reflects the difference between the general population and the specific sample chosen for the survey.