HoNOS OA content validity report

The Health of the Nation Outcome Scales 65+ (HoNOS 65+) is a clinician-rated measure comprising 12 scales that cover the kinds of problems that may be experienced by older adults in contact with specialised mental health services. The HoNOS 65+ measure was first published in 1999, adapted from the HoNOS for working age adults. After 20 years of use in clinical practice, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, as the copyright holder, assembled an advisory board of experts from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand to conduct concurrent reviews of the HoNOS and the HoNOS 65+. Amendments were made to remove sources of ambiguity and inconsistency in the glossaries, and thereby improve reliability, validity and clinical utility. In addition, for scales where it was considered that presenting needs were the same regardless of age, the wording of the two glossaries was further aligned. The revised HoNOS 65+, published in 2018, was named the HoNOS Older Adults (HoNOS OA). These changes reflect a shift towards later onset of functional impairment and the need to allow for variations in the age cut-offs for older adult services between services and over time.

Despite interest in implementing the HoNOS OA in Australia, New Zealand, and some English services, there is as yet no empirical evidence regarding its measurement properties.

Therefore, it was determined that research was needed to determine the content validity of the HoNOS OA.

This report outlines the findings.