Patient-rated mental health needs and quality of life improvement

Background Patient-rated unmet need is cross-sectionally associated with quality of life. Its longitudinal relationship has not been established. Aims To test the hypotheses that: (a) higher patient-rated unmet need is associated with lower individual quality of life assessments by apatientover time; and (b) reduction in patient-rated unmet need precedes improvement in quality of life. Method One hundred and one individuals using adult mental health services were asked to complete 6-monthly questionnaires, comprising quality of life (Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life, MANSA) and unmet need (Camberwell Assessment of Need Short Appraisal Schedule, CANSAS) assessments. Results Seventy-three participants provided 240 separate pairs of consecutive assessments. Random effects regression models indicated an impact on current quality of life for both average level of unmet need ( B = −0.23, 95% CI −0.29 to −0.17) and change in unmet need over the past month ( B = −0.04, 95% CI −0.02). Conclusions Changes in patient-rated unmet needs may cause changes in quality of life.