Narrowing the gap between medical and mental health evaluation.

Some of the problems facing evaluators of medical care have been dealt with by individuals examining mental health programs. Mental health research has focused more on outcome studies that include a multidimensional approach in evaluation. Techniques have been devised in that field that make the evaluative process patient specific and goal oriented. Borrowing some of these methods to make medical care evaluation include a problem-oriented outcome, which incorporates patient satisfaction, compliance with medical therapy, and relief of symptoms, could lead to more accurate data on the health delivery system.