Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

The Use of a Participatory Approach to Develop a Framework for Assessing Quality of Care in Children’s Mental Health Services

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a framework for assessing the quality of children’s mental health services that reflects the primary concerns and perspectives of diverse stakeholders. A participatory research approach was adopted in order to incorporate caregivers of children with mental health problems, mental health service providers, and managed care administrators in identifying and developing quality of care indicators and methods for assessment. This research occurred in three phases that moved from very qualitative and exploratory to more quantitative as we sought to refine and verify the resulting Quality of Care Framework. We found that the use of a participatory approach was beneficial in ensuring the validity of research tools and utility of the framework, and also greatly increased the sense of ownership of research findings among participants.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (1998). Best principles for measuring outcomes in managed care Medicaid programs: How decision-makers can monitor quality of care. Retrieved April 23, 2007 from http://www.aacap.org/page.ww?section=Practice+Information&name=Best+Principles+for+Measuring+Outcomes+in+Managed+Care+Medicaid+Programs#authors.

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2002a). Quick reference to the American Psychiatric Association practice guidelines for the treatment of psychiatric disorders: Compendium 2002. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2002b). Report of the American psychiatric association task force on quality indicators for children. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boothroyd, R. A., & Shern, D. L. (1998). Preliminary findings of the member survey component: Evaluation of Florida’s prepaid mental health plan-interim report. Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brannan, A. M., & Heflinger, C. A. (2005). Child behavioral health service use and caregiver strain: Comparison of managed care and fee-for-service Medicaid systems. Mental Health Services Research, 7(4), 197–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burns, B. J. (1996). What drives outcomes for emotional and behavioral disorders in children and adolescents? New Directions for Mental Health Services, 71, 89–102.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cook, J. A., Heflinger, C. A., Hoven, C. A., Kelleher, K. J., Mulkern, V., Paulson, R. I., et al. (2004). A multi-site study of Medicaid-funded managed care versus fee-for-service plans’ effects on mental health service utilization of children with severe emotional disturbance. Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research, 31(4), 384–402.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cornwall, A., & Jewkes, R. (1995). What is participatory research? Social Science and Medicine, 41(12), 1667–1676.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • de Koning, K., & Martin, M. (1996). Participatory research in health: Setting the context. In K. de Koning & M. Martin (Eds.), Participatory research in health: Issues and experiences (pp. 1–18). London: Zed Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dickey, B. (2001). Measuring quality: An overview. In B. Dickey & L. I. Sederer (Eds.), Improving mental health care: Commitment to quality (pp. 77–88). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Donabedian, A. (1980). Explorations in quality assessment and monitoring: The definition of quality and approaches to its assessment (Vol. I). Ann Arbor, MI: Health Administration Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisen, S. V., Shaul, J. A., Clarridge, B., Nelson, D., Spink, J., & Cleary, P. D. (1999). Development of a consumer survey for behavioral health services. Psychiatric Services, 50(6), 793–798.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fals-Borda, O. (2001). Participatory (action) research in social theory: Origins and challenges. In P. Reason & H. Bradbury (Eds.), Handbook of action research (pp. 27–37). London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fontanella, C. A., Zuravin, S. J., & Burry, C. L. (2006). The effect of a Medicaid managed care program on patterns of psychiatric readmission among adolescents: Evidence rom Maryland. Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research, 33(1), 39–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Green, L. W., & Mercer, S. L. (2001). Can public health researchers and agencies reconcile the push from funding bodies and the pull from communities? American Journal of Public Health, 91(12), 1926–1929.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hermann, R. C., Leff, H. S., & Lagodmos, G. (2002). Selecting process measures for quality improvement in mental healthcare (PN-47). Cambridge, MA: The Evaluation Center@ HSRI. Retrieved January 31, 2007 from http://www.hsri.org/docs/pn47.pdf.

  • Hermann, R. C., Palmer, H., Leff, S., Shwartz, M., Provost, S., Chan, J., et al. (2004). Achieving consensus across diverse stakeholders on quality measures for mental healthcare. Medical Care, 42(12), 1246–1253.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hutchinson, A. B., & Foster, M. (2003). The effect of Medicaid managed care of mental health care for children: A review of the literature. Mental Health Services Research, 5(1), 39–54.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Israel, B. A., Parker, E. A., Rowe, Z., Salvatore, A., Minkler, M., Lopez, J., et al. (2005). Community-based participatory research: Lessons learned from the centers for children’s environmental health and disease prevention research. Environmental Health Perspectives, 113(10), 1463–1471.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, J. S., Petr, C. G., & Kapp, S. A. (2003). Consumer satisfaction with children’s mental health services. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 20(3), 211–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGlynn, E. A. (1997). Six challenges in measuring the quality of health care. Health Affairs, 16(3), 7–21.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Minkler, M. (2000). Using participatory action research to build healthy communities. Public Health Reports, 115, 191–197.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ruble, L. A., Heflinger, C. A., Renfrew, J. W., & Saunders, R. C. (2005). Access and service use by children with autism spectrum disorders in Medicaid managed care. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 35(1), 3–13.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salant, P., & Dillman, D. A. (1994). How to conduct your own survey. New York, NY: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saunders, R. C., & Heflinger, C. A. (2003). Access to and patterns of use of behavioral health services among children and adolescents in TennCare. Psychiatric Services, 54(10), 1364–1371.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sharrock, P., Vargo, A., Vergon, K., Roggenbaum, S., Boothroyd, R., & LeBlanc, A. (2007). The children’s quality of care study FY06-07: A study of the quality of children’s behavioral health services within Florida’s behavioral health managed care plans. Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute.

  • Shield, T., Campbell, S., Rogers, A., Worrall, A., Chew-Graham, C., & Gask, K. (2003). Quality indicators for primary care mental health services. Quality & Safety in Health Care, 12, 100–106.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Small, S. A. (1995). Action-oriented research: Models and methods. Journal of Marriage and Family, 57(4), 941–955.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stroul, B. A., & Friedman, R. M. (1988). Caring for severely disturbed children and youth: Principles for a system of care. Children Today, 17(4), 11–15.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, M. H., Hill, K. S., Boudreau, A. A., Yucel, R. M., Perrin, J. M., & Kuhlthau, K. A. (2008). Medicaid managed care and the unmet need for mental health care among children with special health care needs. Health Services Research, 43(3), 882–900.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS]. (1996). The MHSIP consumer-oriented mental health report card: The final report of the Mental Health Statistics Improvement Program (MHSIP) task force on a consumer-oriented mental health report card. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Mental Health Information Center. Retrieved May 4, 2005 from http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/MC96-60/default.asp.

  • Vargo, A., Sharrock, P., Pedrazza, J., Dhont, K., Armstrong, M., Boothroyd, R., et al. (2005). A study of the quality of children’s behavioral health services within Florida’s behavioral health managed care plans. Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute.

  • Vargo, A., Sharrock, P., Pedrazza, J., Reyes, F., Roggenbaum, S., & Kershaw, M. (2006). A study of the quality of children’s behavioral health services within Florida’s behavioral health managed care plans. Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute.

  • Vargo, A., Sharrock, P., Robinson, P., Boothroyd, R., Armstrong, M., Batsche, C., et al. (2008). Evaluation of Florida’s child welfare prepaid mental health plan (CW-PMHP): Year 2 final report . Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute.

  • Vargo, A., Sharrock, P., Robinson, P., Boothroyd, R., Batsche, C., Lardieri, S., et al. (2009). Evaluation of Florida’s child welfare prepaid mental health plan (CW-PMHP): Year 3. Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute.

  • Wallerstein, N., & Duran, B. (2003). The conceptual, historical, and practice roots of community based participatory research and related participatory traditions. In M. Minkler & N. Wallerstein (Eds.), Community based participatory research in health (pp. 27–52). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallerstein, N., & Duran, B. (2006). Using community-based participatory research to address health disparities. Health Promotion Practice, 7(3), 312–323.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zima, B. T., Hurlburt, M. S., Knapp, P., Ladd, H., Tang, L., Duan, N., et al. (2005). Quality of publicly funded outpatient specialty mental health care for common childhood psychiatric disorders in California. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 44(2), 130–144.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zima, B., Bussing, R., Tang, L., Zhang, L., Ettner, S., Belin, T., et al. (2010). Quality of care for childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in a managed care medicaid program. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(12), 1225–1237.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zima, B., & Mangione-Smith, R. (2011). Gaps in quality measures for child mental health care: An opportunity for a collaborative agenda. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 50(8), 735–737.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the parents, caregivers, mental health providers, and managed care administrators who participated in this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amy C. Vargo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Vargo, A.C., Sharrock, P.J., Johnson, M.H. et al. The Use of a Participatory Approach to Develop a Framework for Assessing Quality of Care in Children’s Mental Health Services. Adm Policy Ment Health 40, 286–299 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-012-0419-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-012-0419-7

Keywords

Navigation