carepaths^TM

The OQ-30 is a short form of the OQ-45.2. It is a brief self-report measure of severity of disturbance in mental health patients that can be used repeatedly and is sensitive to change in adults receiving mental health treatment. It was developed from the largest active mental health outcomes database in the country and has been and is being used extensively in research and clinical applications, including public sector clients.

The OQ-30 provides easy to use interpretive indices that enable a clinician to quickly assess his/her client’s level of disturbance and adequacy of treatment response. A cutoff score discriminates between normal functioning and clinical disturbance. Also, a reliable change index (RCI) has been established so changes in patient scores can be evaluated to determine if they are clinically significant. Additionally, there are flags for clinical follow-up of suicidality and drug/alcohol abuse.

The thirty items for the OQ-30 were chosen from the OQ 45.2 based on their individual sensitivity to change as estimated from a large scale study of patients undergoing treatment in a variety of settings (Vermeersch, Lambert, and Burlingame, 2000). The items that comprise the OQ 30 address commonly occurring problems and symptoms across a wide variety of disorders. Domains tapped include: symptomatic distress, social relationships, work functioning and quality of life.
Outstanding features of the measure include:
• Standardized data: The OQ® 30.1 is a standardized instrument with empirical support.
• User-friendly. The OQ® 30.1 is brief to complete (less than 5 minutes), provides real time feedback and is designed to be incorporated into an office visit in an unobtrusive manner.

Guidelines for Clinical Interpretation
The OQ 30 yields a total score between 0-120. The higher the score, the more distress the patient is acknowledging.
A score over 44 is in the Clinical Range. A score under 44 is considered to be the Normal Range.
For a client’s score to be considered clinically significant, it must change by at least 10 points.
Progress Tracking Alerts: Progress tracking alerts are available for outpatient treatment. Alerts tell the clinician how the patient is responding to treatment. They compare the patient’s progress to recovery curves of similar patients. The analysis takes into consideration the patient’s initial status on the OQÒ-30, the number of treatment sessions the patient has received, and the direction and amount of change.

Progress tracking alerts identify the most likely outcome if the current course of treatment is maintained. These alerts allow the clinician to modify the course of treatment and increase the chances of achieving a good outcome for patients identified as potential treatment failures. The analysis also identifies patients who have reached maximum expected gain from treatment.

The Provider Feedback Report includes the patient’s alert status and recommendations for treatment. There are four alert status categories: red, yellow, green and white. The general meaning of each alert status and the recommendations for clinicians are given in the table below. Specific recommendations that appear on the Provider Feedback Report will differ somewhat from the formulations below since they are customized to the stage of treatment and other OQ findings.

Alert Status Interpretation Recommended Action
Red The patient is not making the expected level of progress. Chances are high that the patient will drop out of treatment prematurely or have a negative treatment outcome. Steps should be taken to carefully review this case and decide upon a new course of action such as referral for medication or intensification of treatment. The treatment plan should be reconsidered.
Yellow The patient is making less than adequate progress and may end up without significant benefit from therapy. Consider altering treatment plan by intensifying treatment, shifting intervention strategies and monitoring progress especially carefully.
Green Patient is making adequate progress. No change in treatment plan is recommended based on these results.
White Patient is functioning in the normal range and may have maximized the benefit of treatment. Consider termination.