TITLE:
Psychometric properties of the interRAI subjective quality of life Instrument for mental health
AUTHORS:
Tess E. Naus, John P. Hirdes
KEYWORDS:
interRAI; Quality of Life; Quality of Care; Recovery
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.5 No.3A,
March
30,
2013
ABSTRACT:
A new Subjective Quality of Life (SQoL) Instrument
for inpatient and community mental health settings was developed by the
interRAI research collaborative to support evaluation of quality in mental
health settings from the person’s perspective. Ratings of SQoL provide
important information about the quality of service and patient experience
with the care they receive. This information
can help staff to improve approaches to each person’s plan of care in a
manner that is meaningful to the individual. This study examined the
reliability of the SQoL-MH. 83 inpatients from several clinical departments in
a mental health center in
South Western Ontario, Canada were randomly assigned to either be interviewed or complete the
assessment on his or her own. Reliability was tested using Cronbach’s Alpha. A
preliminary factor analysis points to four SQoL-MH subscales with very good
internal consistency, ranging from 0.83 to 0.90. Once finalized, the
Subjective Quality of Life instrument will be integral to the interRAI suite of
instruments used to assess persons with mental health needs. A reliable and
valid SQoL-MH instrument will allow mental health service providers to shape or
modify care environments in order to enhance quality of life. In addition,
the SQoL-MH instrument could also benefit advocacy groups who use reports on
quality of life to influence social policy development and funding decisions.