The ICCD benchmarks for clubhouses: A practical approach to quality improvement in psychiatric rehabilitation

The study evaluated whether the average performance of clubhouses certified by the International Center for Clubhouse Development (ICCD) should be con sidered valid benchmarks for clubhouse programs. Methods: A representative sample of clubhouses more than three years old that were based on the Fount ain House model participated In a 1998 mail survey. To verify that ICCD cer tification is a valid indicator of program quality for use in setting bench mark performance rates, 71 certified and 48 noncertified programs were comp ared on a variety of organizational variables, Results: Even though certifi ed and noncertified clubhouses were similar in organizational structure and resources, findings from a logistic regression analysis confirmed that cer tified clubhouses provided a wider array of rehabilitation services and ach ieved higher rates of employment. Conclusions: The findings suggest that IC CD certification is a valid indicator of program quality. The ICCD has ther efore proposed that the average performance of certified U.S. clubhouses in specific domains be adopted as benchmarks for organizational performance. When tailored for programs in particular regions and with specific levels o f funding, the ICCD benchmarks for clubhouse performance set fair and reaso nable expectations for clubhouse programs and for the design of performance contracts between departments of mental health and ICCD clubhouses.