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Clinical Evaluation of Clients’ Progress
Clinical Evaluation is the process of using scientifically and sound methods to collect and assess all clinical data relating of a client to verify and evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention or treatment. Evaluation can be made through medical history, physical examination, observations, and other diagnostic procedures. Reasons for client evaluation are for: (i) diagnostic purposes, (ii) treatment or reassurance, or (iii) a combination of these factors. The process and analysed results will then be documented in a Clinical Evaluation Report (CER).
Clinical evaluation tools are designed to assess psychologists’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to the intervention or treatment, and in line with the professional standards. There are various ways to access a client’s progress. These are some factors for consideration (in no particular order):
Select the appropriate assessment method and tool to evaluate your clients’ progress or outcome
Effectiveness of the intervention / treatment the clients are undergoing
Where relevant, the involvement of family members and caregivers in the intervention
Treatment outcomes
Importance of Progress Monitoring:
Continual monitoring of your clients' progress plays an integral role in improving intervention outcomes as psychologists are able to detect any changes in the early stages of treatment, be it improvement or deterioration, and if necessary, provide alterations to the treatment plan. A meta-analysis by Lambert and Shimokawa (2012) found that progress measurement with feedback to clinician was moderately and significantly associated with positive client outcomes. Moreover, clients’ feedback are crucial as research has shown that clinicians often hold overly optimistic views of their clients’ treatment progress as compared to the measured change (Walfish et al., 2012). An example of evidence-based solution is to use tools such as client-rated quantitative measurements of progress that offers continuous assessment of client change and provide systematic feedback about client response to treatment (Overington & Ionita, 2012).
Henceforth, it is important to have your clients’ feedback throughout intervention. Some recommendations:
Check-ins (informal approaches) throughout your sessions
Conduct formal assessments (formal approaches) during mid / end of intervention
References
Lambert, M. J., & Shimokawa, K. (2011). Collecting client feedback. In J. C. Norcross (Ed.), Psychotherapy relationships that work: Evidence-based responsiveness (p. 203–223). Oxford University Press.
Overington, L., & Ionita, G. (2012). Progress monitoring measures: A brief guide. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 53(2), 82.
Walfish, S., McAlister, B., O'Donnell, P., & Lambert, M. J. (2012). An investigation of self-assessment bias in mental health providers. Psychological reports, 110(2), 639-644.
