About this Research Topic
The interRAI suite of assessment and screening systems comprises a comprehensive, integrated instruments spanning all major health care settings with application to vulnerable persons of all ages. This includes instruments for mental health services (in-patient psychiatry, community mental health) as well as for non-mental health agencies that serve subpopulations with mental health needs (e.g., home care, nursing homes, acute care, developmental services). Populations covered include infants, children, youth, young and middle-aged adults, and older adults. Data from these instruments are used for clinical care at the person-level (e.g., need determination, care planning, outcome measurement) and health system management at the population-level (e.g., performance measurement, funding, policy development, emergency management).
This Research Topic will serve as a compendium of new research related to the interRAI family of instruments in psychiatric and non-mental health care settings. Of particular interest, will be papers that illustrate novel uses of interRAI assessment data to address mental health concerns through clinical care of persons living with mental illness or organizational level decision-making to deal with mental health of populations. This may include development and testing of new screening tools, as well as decision support applications for risk management, care planning, outcome monitoring, and performance measurement. Priority is given to papers that provide empirically sound evidence while also having direct relevance to applications in clinical care, policy, or mental health service provision.
All papers must include interRAI assessment data, but they may also involve other linked data sets where appropriate. Priority themes include:
• Psychometric studies to evaluate performance of new instruments, scales or algorithm
• Comparisons of needs and outcomes of care for persons with mental illness
o Across care settings; or
o Among different age groups
• International comparisons of mental health system performance, population needs
• Evaluation of innovative models of mental health service provision
• Novel clinical or management applications of interRAI mental health data
• Use of interRAI systems to monitor mental health outcomes over the life course
All editors are Fellows of the interRAI Network; however, interRAI is a non-commercial organization registered as a not-for-profit charity in the US.
This Research Topic will serve as a compendium of new research related to the interRAI family of instruments in psychiatric and non-mental health care settings. Of particular interest, will be papers that illustrate novel uses of interRAI assessment data to address mental health concerns through clinical care of persons living with mental illness or organizational level decision-making to deal with mental health of populations. This may include development and testing of new screening tools, as well as decision support applications for risk management, care planning, outcome monitoring, and performance measurement. Priority is given to papers that provide empirically sound evidence while also having direct relevance to applications in clinical care, policy, or mental health service provision.
All papers must include interRAI assessment data, but they may also involve other linked data sets where appropriate. Priority themes include:
• Psychometric studies to evaluate performance of new instruments, scales or algorithm
• Comparisons of needs and outcomes of care for persons with mental illness
o Across care settings; or
o Among different age groups
• International comparisons of mental health system performance, population needs
• Evaluation of innovative models of mental health service provision
• Novel clinical or management applications of interRAI mental health data
• Use of interRAI systems to monitor mental health outcomes over the life course
All editors are Fellows of the interRAI Network; however, interRAI is a non-commercial organization registered as a not-for-profit charity in the US.
Keywords: interRAI, assessment, life course, integration, performance measurement
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
