Effective and efficient: Using patient-led appointment scheduling in routine mental health practice in remote Australia.

Abstract

Patient-led appointment scheduling is a form of responsive regulation in whieh patients schedule their own psychotherapy appointments within the constraints of available resources. Of 92 patients referred to a clinical psychology clinic in the public mental health service of a remote country town in Australia, 51 attended more than 1 appointment (M = 3.6; median = 3; range = 2-11). The average number of missed and cancelled appointments was between 0 and 1.1. As compared with reported results of other practice-based studies, this approach to treatment scheduling was equivalently effective (in terms of effect size) and substantially more efficient (in terms of effect size achieved per session attended). Patient-led regulation of treatment parameters holds promise in a context of heavy demands and limited resources in mental health services.

MindSurf: a pilot study to assess the usability and acceptability of a smartphone app designed to promote contentment, wellbeing, and goal achievement

“…MOL synthesises the three core processes of control, conflict, and reorganisation into an efficient and effective treatment modality [16, 18]. The questioning style used in MOL promotes a detailed exploration of cognitive processes and, in particular, the way in which different cognitive states relate to each other.…”

“…The questioning style used in MOL promotes a detailed exploration of cognitive processes and, in particular, the way in which different cognitive states relate to each other. MOL has been developed and evaluated in routine clinical practice in both Australia and the United Kingdom since 2002 with effect sizes such as 0.77, 1.36, and 1.45 reported [18, 19]. …”

“…Apart from the demonstrated effectiveness of MOL [18, 19], one of the interesting clinical outcomes that has been reported anecdotally by patients is that, through repeated MOL sessions, patients begin to internalise the MOL questioning style. Since one of the priorities of MOL is to help the patient to “get along without the therapist”, it was of interest to determine if technology could be used to provide a resource for people to access MOL-style questions outside therapy sessions.…”

‘It was me answering my own questions’: Experiences of method of levels therapy amongst people with first‐episode psychosis

“…There is already some evidence that this approach to appointment scheduling is acceptable to clients, has the potential to use staff resources more efficiently, and increases client control (Carey & Mullan ; Carey et al . ).…”

Method of levels therapy for first‐episode psychosis: The feasibility randomized controlled Next Level trial

“…Instead, service users are made aware of when MOL sessions are available and have control over booking appointments as they require them. Existing research suggests that clients appreciate having greater control over appointment scheduling, and this system has the potential to use resources more efficiently than conventional approaches to appointment scheduling (Carey & Mullan, ; Carey, Tai, & Stiles, ).…”