College Outcomes Management System (COMS)

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The prevalence and severity of mental health and chemical dependency disorders on college campuses have reached unprecedented levels. A national survey of 29,230 college students in 2002 found that, at some point during the previous year, 45% had felt so depressed that they could not function; 65% had felt "things were hopeless." One in three were taking antidepressants. Chemical dependency is widespread and has become normative on many campuses. Half of all students report that they "drink to get drunk." Mental health and chemical dependency claim over 2,000 student lives each year. COMS will provide automated outcomes management for college health services. It will help college counseling centers (CCCs) and college health centers (CHCs) respond more effectively to this challenge. As the first outcomes management system (OMS) appropriate for use on college campuses, COMS will provide student health programs with the same evidence-based treatment screening, planning, and progress monitoring capabilities introduced successfully in behavioral health settings across the nation. It will provide: Behavioral healthcare screening and clinical decision support: COMS will help to identify students suffering from serious behavioral health (mental health, substance abuse) disorders, or at risk for life threatening conditions such as eating disorders (ED), self-harm (e.g., cutting) and suicidality. Effective screening for chemical dependency (CD), linked to appropriate interventions. COMS will enable CCCs to fully integrate screening with Motivational Enhancement Interviewing (MEI), promoting readiness to change among a population that considers heavy drinking and drug use to be normative. Multivariate severity ("case mix") adjustment, allowing for valid comparisons of treatment outcomes across programs and meaningful quality improvement initiatives. Continual enhancement of its ability to evaluate "what works for whom," as its database of patient characteristics, treatments (i.e., individual, group, pharmacological) and outcomes expands. Population screening (anonymous): The COMS screens can be made available on the CCC website to support its outreach function; e.g. by encouraging student self-assessment during orientation. Utility for research Assessment of risk for dropout Phase I specific aims: (1) Construct the patient assessments (initial and monitoring) and (2) automate their administration; (3) Design and automate the generation of the initial assessment reports; (4) Establish Phase II CCC scale norms, reliability and validity; (5) Validate the screen for Eating Disorders; (6) Evaluate CCC staff acceptance and (7) patient ability to understand and respond to the questions. The prevalence and severity of mental health and chemical dependency disorders on college campuses have reached unprecedented levels. Mental health and chemical dependency claim over 2,000 student lives each year. COMS will provide student counseling centers and health programs with automated assessment for behavioral healthcare, in support of evidence-based treatment screening, planning, and progress monitoring.