The usefulness of aggregate routine clinical outcomes data: The example of HoNOS65+

There is increasing interest in whether observational data can usefully supplement, enhance, or even replace clinical trials evidence for the efficacy of interventions. To an understanding of the practical and cultural changes necessary for this in psychiatry must be added appreciation of the importance of feedback of appropriately analysed aggregated outcomes data to clinicians. This article describes the development of methods of analysis of routine clinical outcomes data (using ICD10, HoNOS65+ and a developing intervention coding system) in an old age psychiatry service in South London. The minimum dataset necessary, the construction of a database and some core analyses are described. Illustrative findings, fed back to clinicians, are presented, and the positive impact of the process of analysis and feedback described.