Measuring Quality of Care in Community Mental Health: Validation of Concordant Clinician and Client Quality-of-Care Scales

Abstract

Measuring quality of care can transform care, but few tools exist to measure quality from the client’s perspective. The aim of this study was to create concordant clinician and client self-report quality of care scales in a sample of community mental health clinicians (n = 189) and clients (n = 469). The client scale had three distinct factors (Person-Centered Care, Negative Staff Interactions, and Inattentive Care), while the clinician scale had two: Person-Centered Care and Discordant Care. Both versions demonstrated adequate internal consistency and validity with measures related to satisfaction and the therapeutic relationship. These measures are promising, brief quality assessment tools.