PRIMHD outcome reports
Te Pou published the first set of Programme for the Integration of Mental Health Data (PRIMHD) reports in 2009. Since then the collection of outcomes data has become part of clinical practice and district health boards (DHBs) continue to improve the ways they use their data to better understand the services they provide.
To maintain this momentum Te Pou, the Ministry of Health and the sector have worked together to enhance the current reports to ensure they are understandable, usable and useful.
National reports available
Every three months individual DHBs are provided with a set of three summary reports based on each one of the outcomes tools such as the Health of the Nation Outcomes Scale (HoNOS) (used with adults from 18 to 64 years of age), HoNOSCA (used with children up to the age of 17 years) and HoNOS 65+ (used with adults 65 years and older).
Each summary report is made up of three parts.
- Collection completion and validity - shows teams and services the quality of the data.
- Outcomes related information - gives signals of what has changed over time for service users.
- Service related information - looks at how a service performs.
The national reports use outcomes data from all 20 DHBs to provide an overall picture of data quality, what has changed for service users and how DHBs perform. These are available on Te Pou’s website and are updated every three months.
Click to view the latest PRIMHD summary reports: October 2011 to September 2012.
What is PRIMHD?
PRIMHD (pronounced ‘primed’) is the Ministry of Health’s national collection of activity and outcomes data. PRIMHD data is provided by district health boards (DHBs) and non-government organisations (NGOs) and stored in the Ministry of Health’s national data warehouse.
Using PRIMHD information supports a better and more detailed understanding of changes in health, wellbeing and circumstances for people who access mental health services.
PRIMHD also provides services with valuable information to support organisational planning. For this reason, it is important that the sector continues to embed and enhance the collection of outcomes measures into routine practice.
The importance of compliance
The HoNOS suite of measures is an important clinical tool to support decision making at all levels. In order for the information to be useful it is essential that the outcomes collection is carried out as directed in the Information Collection Protocol (ICP).
The ICP requires that an outcomes collection is completed at the start and end of periods of care, in either inpatient or community settings, and at three monthly intervals, when treatment is more than three months.
Without high levels of compliance it is difficult to ensure the quality of the outcomes information. At a national level, projects such as the mental health Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Framework and Casemix projects require a good volume of data for analysis.
Reporting outcomes
Outcomes collection rates have steadily increased over the past four years. In July 2011 the Ministry of Health recommended a set of collection targets to all DHBs, which they consider realistic and achievable, while still presenting a challenge to services. The following year additional targets were set for admission and discharge collections within inpatient units.
A report on PRIMHD collection compliance rates is available with the latest PRIMHD summary reports.
Compliance rate targets recommended by the Ministry of Health
The table below outlines the targets and timeframes for achievement. You will see the targets differ for inpatient and community services. This is in recognition of the current collection levels and capacity of inpatient and community settings to collect outcomes information.
| Period ending | Inpatient target (%) | Admission inpatient target (%) | Discharge inpatient target (%) | Community target (%) |
| June 2012 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 55 |
| June 2013 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 60 |
| June 2014 | 80+ | 80+ | 80+ | 70 |
| June 2015 | 80+ | 80+ | 80+ | 80 |
Supporting DHBs to achieve PRIMHD compliance
There are six key ways Te Pou works to assist DHBs to achieve PRIMHD compliance. This assistance includes, but is not limited to:
- targeted training for DHB managers and clinicians on the collection and use of outcomes information
- access to user-friendly reports with the DHBs own data
- explanatory information on the reports so DHB staff can interpret tables and graphs
- assistance with system processes so DHBs can ensure their collections are compliant with the ICP
- advice and support to DHBs as required to eliminate outcomes data anomalies
- support networks and linkages.
If you would like more information about PRIMHD reports or compliance please contact Laurie Hakiwai.
