HoNOS 2018 content validity report

The Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) were developed in the 1990s as a means for clinicians to measure the outcomes of working-age adults in contact with specialised mental health services. The HoNOS comprises 12 scales that cover the kinds of problems that may be experienced by this group.

In 2014, a collaborative project was commenced to review the HoNOS. This project was led by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, as the copyright holder, with the participation of representatives from Australia and New Zealand. As a result of the review, an updated version was published in 2018 and is known as the HoNOS 2018.

The revisions were intended to reduce ambiguity and inconsistency in the glossary, and to promote rating consistency and clinical utility, without changing the measure’s structure. Whether these benefits have been achieved is unknown.

Therefore, it was determined that research was needed to ensure HoNOS is still valid and reliable as a measure.

In 2020, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand analysed the construct validity of HoNOS 2018 using HoNOS experts in a survey from the three countries.

This report outlines the findings.