Outcome Measures (DIALOG and DIALOG+)
Measuring outcomes provide a way for patients, clinicians and the health and care systems to understand the impact of the care provided. Outcome measures can be used to identify patient needs and understand the effectiveness of any care or treatment. They can also be used to measure health outcomes for a local population through ‘system process’ outcome measures.
In London, we are supporting the implementation of DIALOG as the London patient reported outcome measure (PROM) which is an assessment of health status and health-related quality of life that comes directly from the patient.
What is DIALOG?
DIALOG is a set of 11 questions where service users are asked to rate their satisfaction and needs for care across different parts of their life and treatment. It helps to guide a structured conversation between a health professional and service user that is patient centred with a focus on change.
Why does DIALOG exist?
DIALOG is simple to use and it enables proactive, personalised conversations at an individual level, supporting self-management and helping service users move forward with their journey of recovery. It has also been used to help inform the redesign of care planning processes within mental health services.
Capturing this information also gives a powerful indicator of patient satisfaction levels where health and social care services need to focus for improvement.
Outcome Measures (DIALOG and DIALOG+)
Service users are asked by health professionals to complete this survey using pen and paper, or on a computer, iPAD or phone.
Who is DIALOG for?
This survey was initially rolled out for people within early intervention services and for those receiving a Care Programme Approach (CPA) package of care. The use of DIALOG can be extended to other mental health services including adolescents, older adults and primary care.
How often should DIALOG be used?
As a minimum, it is recommended that DIALOG is completed at the start of an episode of treatment, at review and at the end of an episode.
What is DIALOG+?
DIALOG is the tool and DIALOG+ is a specific intervention that uses the DIALOG scale and a 4- step approach based on solution-focused therapy.
DIALOG+ helps the person and the clinician to structure a conversation to explore their needs and wishes, support their care plan and help service users to actively problem-solve to support their recovery.
Resources
The following resources have been developed to support the use and development of DIALOG as a patient relation outcome measure (PROM) and care planning tool for London. Please click on each tab for the resources.
