Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Sirey, J. A. Articles by Holmes, D. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Sirey, J. A. Articles by Holmes, D. Needs Assessment Outcome and Process Assessment Other Health Services Issues Related Article

The Cornell Service Index as a Measure of Health Service Use

OBJECTIVE: This article describes the development, administration, and reliability of the Cornell Services Index (CSI), a new instrument that measures health service use. The CSI was developed to create a standardized measure of the quantity and characteristics (for example, site and provider) of services used by adults. Descriptive data are provided to illustrate the application of the CSI in a community sample of adults who were newly admitted to outpatient mental health clinics. These data provide information about the pathways to care. METHODS: The interrater and test-retest reliability of the CSI were evaluated by using a sample of 40 adults who were seeking mental health treatment. Descriptive data on service use in a sample of 1,279 adults seeking care in outpatient mental health clinics was provided to demonstrate the application of the CSI. RESULTS: The CSI is a portable, easy to use, and brief assessment of service use. It has good interrater and test-retest reliability among adults without cognitive impairment. In the three months before seeking care, 31 percent of the adults interviewed had made a mental health visit, 36 percent had been hospitalized, and more than half (59 percent) had made a medical visit. Twenty-three percent of adults had sought care from a hospital's emergency department. CONCLUSIONS: The CSI is a reliable method to assess health service use for adults. The measure can extend assessment of use beyond the traditional mental health service use questions and provide a snapshot of service use patterns across types, providers, and sites of service among adults who seek mental health care.

Related Article:

December 2005: This Month's Highlights
Psychiatr Serv 2005 56: 1490. [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. A. Arean, A. M. Gum, L. Tang, and J. Unutzer Service Use and Outcomes Among Elderly Persons With Low Incomes Being Treated for Depression Psychiatr Serv, August 1, 2007; 58(8): 1057 - 1064. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2005 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us