C ontinuity of care (COC) is widely regarded as central to the provision of mental health services. It has recently assumed greater importance in conjunction with the decentralization of service delivery in mental health systems across Europe (1) and North America (2-4). Clinicians commonly assume that, if COC is absent from the services provided to patients with chronic and debilitating conditions, the result may be social isolation, economic hardship, and threats to quality of life. The concept has been characterized by some as a "strategic first choice" in the case of service planning and

There is little evidence that continuity of care results in better client outcomes, which may be primarily attributable to the underdevelopment of measures. Measurement of continuity of care must become more sophisticated before key questions about the association of continuity of care with outcomes can be examined and before the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve continuity of care can be rigorously evaluated.

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The psychometric characteristics of an instrument to assess perceived continuity of care among mental health patients were examined. 441 adults with severe and persistent mental illness were recruited from 70 inpatient, outpatient, emergency and community treatment programs (n = 259 females; M age = 42.5, SD = 10.3 years) in Alberta, Canada. Respondents completed a 43-item self-report questionnaire to rate perceived continuity. Item quality was assessed by examining missing data and frequency distributions. In a randomly selected subsample (n = 171), exploratory factor analysis identified 3 dimensions: (1) perceived attentiveness to individual needs or changes in illness or life circumstances (Individualized Care; alpha = .64); (2) perceptions of a coherent system characterized by good communication between providers (Responsive System; alpha = .71); and (3) perceived responsiveness on the part of a primary provider (Responsive Caregiver; alpha = .52). In a second random subsample (n = 181), confirmatory factor analysis provided support for this 3-factor structure and the inclusion of a second-order "continuity" factor (alpha = .72), and informed further item reduction. Split-half reliability for the second-order factor was calculated. Associations between the factors and "objective" measures of continuity, as well as relevant clinical, quality of life, and service satisfaction variables, are reported. Use of the measure for clinical and research purposes and its limitations are considered.