PRIMHD outcome reports

In 2009 Te Pou and the Ministry of Health worked together to develop a set of national Programme for the Integration of Mental Health Data (PRIMHD) reports. Every three months each district health board mental health and addictions general/service manager and PRIMHD site coordinator receive a copy of their individual set of reports.

The information contained in the individual reports is collated to form a national set of reports which is available from this website. Explanatory notes are available to help interpret the reports.

National mental health data collections

PRIMHD integrates New Zealand's two national mental health data collections: the Mental Health Information National Collection (MHINC) and the Mental Health Standard Measures of Assessment and Recovery (MH-SMART).

Programme for the Integration of Mental Health Data (PRIMHD) = MH-SMART + MHINC

This integrated data set describes who receives what services from whom, and the changes in service users' health, wellbeing and circumstances. PRIMHD also collects other mental health data giving a single rich source of mental health information.

A better understanding

The collection of quality outcome data supports a better and more detailed understanding of changes in health, wellbeing and circumstances for those accessing mental health services.

PRIMHD also provide services with valuable information to support organisational planning. For this reason, it is important that the sector continues to maintain momentum embedding the collection of outcome measures into routine practice.

PRIMHD is one of four priority projects described in the implementation plan of the National Mental Health Information Strategy (2006).

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, outcomes collection needs to be carried out in compliance with the Information Collection Protocol (ICP).

The ICP requires that an outcomes collection is completed at the start and end 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 will be impossible to demonstrate the usefulness of outcomes information.

At a national level, projects such as the Mental Health Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Framework or related benchmarking and casemix projects, require a volume of data to provide sufficient matched pairs of consecutive collections for analysis.  

Reporting outcomes collection compliance

Reporting outcomes collection compliance is one of the first measures (or indicators) of service status related to utilising health information. Determining the barriers to outcomes collection compliance is an essential step in the Continuous Quality Improvement approach required to systematically achieve high quality health information. 

Collection rates have been steadily increasing over the past year. In July 2011 the Ministry of Health recommended to all DHBs a set of collection targets, which they consider realistic and achievable, while still presenting a challenge to services.

The inpatient and community figures are split; this is in recognition of the current collection levels and capacity of inpatient and community settings.

Compliance rate targets recommended by the Ministry of Health

Helping DHBs achieve PRIMHD compliance

There are six key ways Te Pou is assisting DHBs to achieve PRIMHD compliance.

1. Providing targeted training to specific DHBs.
2. Providing access to user-friendly reports with the DHB's own data.
3. Providing explanatory information on the reports so DHB employees can interpret tables and graphs.
4. Providing assistance with system processes so DHBs can ensure their collections are compliant with the Information Collection Protocol.
5. Advising and supporting DHBs to eliminate outcome data anomalies.
6. Providing support networks and linkages.