Overview
The Partners for Change Outcome Management System (PCOMS) is a systematic client feedback intervention. PCOMS uses two, four item scales to solicit client feedback regarding factors proven to predict success regardless of treatment model or presenting problem: early progress (using the Outcome Rating Scale) and the quality of the alliance (using the Session Rating Scale). PCOMS:
- Identifies clients at risk for negative outcome before dropout or treatment failure;
- Provides objective, quantifiable data on the effectiveness of providers and systems of care;
- Uses measures that are reliable and valid, but feasible for each clinical encounter; and
- Provides a mechanism for consumer preferences to guide choice of intervention.
The Session Rating Scale (SRS) is a simple, four-item scale designed to assess the quality of the therapeutic alliance.
Research
Eight randomized clinical trials (RCT) conducted by the clinical developer of PCOMS, Barry Duncan, and other researchers at Better Outcomes Now have shown PCOMS to significantly improve effectiveness in real clinical settings as well as substantially reduce costs related to length of treatment and provider productivity. Because of these RCTs, PCOMS was recognized in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP). PCOMS has been implemented by hundreds of organizations in the US and Canada as well as 20 countries across the globe. An independent meta-analysis revealed that individuals using PCOMS had a 3.5 times more chance of achieving reliable change and a 50% less likelihood of deterioration.
PCOMS has been shown to be consumer-friendly, highly feasible for clinicians, and importantly, repeatedly demonstrated to improve the quality and efficiency of services in peer-reviewed, published studies conducted across a range of settings, including public behavioral health. For more information on the RCTs and peer reviewed studies, please click here. For more on the most recent RCT conducted in integrated care, click here.
