Development of an outcome monitoring system for crisis telephone ...

Development of an Outcome Monitoring System
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Procedures
Rating of callers by volunteers
The procedures followed by volunteers to conduct caller ratings are documented in a
manual that is provided to volunteers at the time of their training for participating in the
evaluation. A copy of the manual is available from the senior author (T. Aubry,
crsc@uottawa.ca). Volunteers rated callers initially at the beginning of calls (i.e., within the
first 10 minutes) and then again after the conclusion of the call.
Follow-up interviews
At the end of calls, volunteers invited callers to participate in the evaluation of crisis
telephone services through either a telephone interview or by completing a survey available
at DCO’s or TAO’s website. The follow-up or survey was targeted to occur within two
weeks of callers’ contact with the crisis telephone service. Callers were informed that their
participation was voluntary and confidential and that their refusing to participate would have
no effect on their receipt of future services. Callers were given the option to either call back
or be called at a specific time for the telephone interview.
V. Pilot Testing of Outcome Monitoring Methodology
Three pilot studies of the outcome monitoring methodology were conducted between
June 2004 and June 2005. The results of each of these pilot tests are presented next.
Pilot Study I
The first pilot study was conducted during the period of June and July, 2004. The
intent of the first pilot study was to test the caller rating measures on a small number of calls
at each agency. Caller ratings were conducted on 24 callers by the three volunteers at DCO
and on 33 callers also by three volunteers at TAO. The rating scales were found to be simple
and straightforward to use. They were completed at the beginning of the call after 6 to 8
minutes had elapsed.
Based on feedback from the volunteers using the rating scales, a number of small
changes were made. Specifically, the coping scales were revised from focusing on approach
types of coping behaviours and avoidance types of coping behaviours into effective coping
behaviours and ineffective coping behaviours. A recent review of the literature in
Psychological Bulletin (Skinner, Edge, Altman, & Sherwood, 2003) was used to identify
behaviours in these two latter categories. As well, clarification of the criteria for rating levels
of depressive mood and levels of anxiety were made with the addition of intensity in addition
to number of symptoms. Some other symptoms indicative of anxiety were also added to the
rating criteria for the anxiety scale. Finally, the number of items on the Crisis Call Outcome
Rating Scale was reduced from 13 items to 9 items. In particular, items that referred to
negative outcomes were removed (e.g., “the caller said the helper was not listening”).
Centre for Research on Community Services