Using graphical feedback to increase social workers' productivity

The survival of any mental health facility in these competitive times will depend upon licensed personnel maintaining optimum levels of billable hours . This study examines the use or graphical feedback to increase the service hours among 6 social workers (SW) who are employed in a public mental heal th facility. Method: Baseline service hours were collected from archival da ta for the months of January, 1998 to August, 1998. Beginning in August, 19 98, productivity data were graphed and distributed monthly to social worker s, documenting their number of service hours for the month and the average of all social workers in the agency. Results: Following the graphing interv ention, the average monthly billed hours increased from a baseline of 31.22 hours to 40.28 hours per month, representing a 29% improvement in producti vity. The majority of social workers participating in this study viewed gra phical feedback as an acceptable intervention. (C) 2001 by The Haworth Pres s, Inc. All rights reserved.