Treatment outcome for a maltreated population: Benefits, procedural decisions, and challenges

Objective: To review the benefits, challenges, and procedural decisions to consider when implementing and managing a treatment outcome program for a m altreated population. Method: We reviewed the reasons to implement a treatment outcome program, d ecisions regarding procedures, and challenges likely to be encountered base d on literature in the held and the authors' 6 years of experience in devel oping and maintaining an outcome program at a center specializing in the tr eatment of maltreated children. Results: The development of an outcome programs requires careful measuremen t selection, early and ongoing staff-involvement, support from higher manag ement, a well-developed data base and client tracking system, a coordinator and support staff, clinical utility, planning for fiscal impact, and flexi bility to contend with challenges. Conclusions: Based on our experience, the plethora of clinically rich and a dministratively useful information derived from an outcome program far outw eighs the challenges and costs of establishing and maintaining an outcome p rogram. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.