To Measure or Not to Measure: Perspectives of Measurement-Based Care From the Trenches

Abstract

Measurement-based care has improved patient health outcomes by adding precision to clinical decision making at the patient level, when implemented correctly, across health care systems. Payors and system administrators also use measurements to assess program performance and inform resource allocation. This article describes frustrations and unintended consequences experienced by patients, psychiatric providers, administrators, and health systems when exuberant measurement, often without clearly stated goals, is promulgated with insufficient consideration as to the purpose, selection, and timing of these measurements by administrators and health systems. We propose some principles to inform when, how, by whom, and what to measure in managing the care of psychiatric patients. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2023;53(9):410–414.]