Carers' and Users' Expectations of Services - User version (CUES-U): a new instrument to measure the experience of users of mental health services

• Main Authors: Lelliott, P. (Author), Beevor, A. (Author), Hogman, G. (Author), Hyslop, H. (Author), Lathlean, J. (Author), Ward, M. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2001-07.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

Background: No existing instrument measures all or even most of the issues considered important by users of mental health services. Aims: To develop and test a self-assessment instrument to enable users of mental health services to rate their experience across the range of domains that they consider to be important. Method: Relevant domains were identified and a new instrument was drafted and field tested to examine its psychometric properties. Results: The 17-item, self-rated Carers' and Users' Expectations of Services - User version (CUES-U) appears acceptable to most service users. Its items have reasonable test-retest reliability and a 'total CUES-U score' correlates significantly with a total score of the Health of the Nations Outcome Scales (Spearman's =0.42; P < 0.01). Conclusions: The development and testing of CUES-U suggest that it might be feasible to apply a self-rated measure of the expectations and experience of users of mental health services.