[The value of various forms of therapy in a university child and adolescent psychiatric clinic and associated facilities. Methodological aspects and contents of therapy documentation within the scope of quality assurance].

This study is an extension of an investigation by the same authors in which the treatment provided by a university child psychiatry department and associated facilities was analyzed. First a system for the assessment of therapeutic measures for children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders and their families is presented. Then the frequency of use of the different forms of therapy in a sample of more than 10,000 referred children and adolescents is discussed. The statistical analysis was conducted separately for the different facilities (inpatient wards, outpatient clinic, day treatment ward, mobile child psychiatric service and child guidance clinic). The results show the relative importance of the different types of treatment in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry. Furthermore, they show how the frequency and intensity of use of the different treatment forms varies in the different facilities. In some treatment categories (e.g. pharmacological treatment) there are significant differences among facilities, whereas in others (e.g. parent counseling and family-oriented interventions) the rate of usage is about the same at all facilities. With regard to methodology, the question is discussed of how treatment effectiveness can be assessed and documented in a practicable and meaningful way.