CORE

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The CORE (Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation) System is a UK standardised quality evaluation, audit and outcome assessment tool for the psychological therapies.

It was launched in June 1998 after four years research and development work by a multi-disciplinary group of researchers and practitioners.

The system has been adopted on a nationwide basis, by a wide variety of mental health services, in particular primary care counselling services where the CORE-OM is the most widely used outcome measure.

Today this system is used by over 250 services and 3,500 clinicians to help measure, monitor and manage therapy outcomes. The collected data from CORE has led to the creation of one of the largest databases of practice-based evidence.

The CORE System consists of the following measures:

The CORE Outcome Measure CORE-OM

The Therapy Assessment Form

End of Therapy Form

The CORE Administration Form

The CORE System User Manual

CORE System 'spokes'

CORE System 'spokes' fall into two main categories:

• shorter versions of the CORE Outcome Measure designed for repeated use during therapy, and for screening and ongoing monitoring.
• tools designed to capture additional complementary data for specific populations e.g. employees, or for specific purposes e.g. to measure goal attainment and client satisfaction.

The CORE System forms are free to download, copy and use from here

See also

• John Mellor-Clark
• Routine outcome measurement
• Use of CORE in clinical research and practice

References

Books

• Core System Group (1998). CORE System (Information Management) Handbook. Leeds: Core System Group.

Papers

• Mellor-Clark, J., Barkham, M., Connell, J. & Evans, C. (1999). Practice-based evidence and need for a standardised evaluation system: Informing the design of the CORE System. European Journal of Psychotherapy, Counselling and Health, 2, 357-374.

• Evans, C., Mellor-Clark, J., Margison, F., Barkham, M., McGrath, G., Connell, J. & Audin, K. (2000) Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation: The CORE-OM. Journal of Mental Health, 9, 247-255.

• Whewell, P. & Bonanno, D. (2000) The Care Programme Approach and risk assessment of borderline personality disorder. Clincal validation of the CORE risk sub-scale. Psychiatric Bulletin, 24, 381-384.

• Audin, K., Margison, F., Mellor-Clark, J., and Barkham, M. (2001). Value of HoNOS in assessing patient change in NHS psychotherapy and psychological treatment services. British Journal of Psychiatry, 178, 561-566.

• Barkham, M., Margison, F., Leach, C., Lucock, M., Mellor-Clark, J., Evans, C., Benson, L., Connell, J., Audin, K. & McGrath, G. (2001). Service profiling and outcomes benchmarking using the CORE-OM: Towards practice-based evidence in the psychological therapies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69, 184-196.

• McCloskey, H. (2001) Evaluation of the CORE outcome measure in a therapeutic forensic setting. British Journal of Forensic Practice, 3, 22-28.

• Mellor-Clark, J., Connell, J., Barkham, M. & Cummins, P. (2001). Counselling outcomes in primary health care: a CORE System data profile. European Journal of Psychotherapy, Counselling and Health, 4, 65-86.

• Ming Wai, W. (2001). Ethnic culture, distress and clinical measurement: A CORE outcome comparison between the British Chinese and white Europeans. Journal of Mental Health. 10, 301-315

• Evans, C, Connell, J., Barkham, M., Margison, F., Mellor-Clark, J., McGrath, G. & Audin, K. (2002). Towards a standardised brief outcome measure: Psychometric properties and utility of the CORE-OM. British Journal of Psychiatry, 180, 51-60.

• Howey, L. & Ormrod, J. (2002). Personality disorder, primary care counselling and therapeutic effectiveness. Journal of Mental Health, 11, 131-139.

• Mellor-Clark, J. (2002). A CORE profile of counselling in primary care. Psychiatry, 1 (4), 39-43.

• Royal College of Nursing (2002). Working well? Results from the RCN working well survey into the wellbeing and working lives of nurses. London: Royal College of Nursing.

• Evans, C., Connell, J., Barkham, M., Marshall, C., & Mellor-Clark, J. (2003). Practice-Based Evidence: benchmarking NHS primary care counselling services at national and local levels. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 10 (6), 374 – 388

• Mellor-Clark, J. (2003). National innovations in the evaluation of psychological therapy service provision. The Journal of Primary Care Mental Health, 7, (3), 82 – 85

• Stiles, W. B., Leach, C., Barkham, M., et al (2003) Early sudden gains in psychotherapy under routine clinic conditions: practice-based evidence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71(1), 14-21.

• Barkham, M., Gilbert, N., Connell, J., Marshall. C., Twigg, E. (2005) Suitability and utility of the CORE-OM and CORE-A for assessing severity of presenting problems in psychological therapy services based in primary and secondary care. British Journal of Psychiatry, 186, 239-246.

• Barkham, M., Culverwell, A., Spindler, K., Twigg, E., & Connell, J. (2005). The CORE-OM in an older adult population: Psychometric status, acceptability, and feasibility. Aging and Mental Health, 9, 235-245.

• Barkham, M., Gilbert, N., Connell, J., Marshall, C., & Twigg, E. (2005). Suitability and utility of the CORE-OM and CORE-A for assessing severity of presenting problems in psychological therapy services based in primary and secondary care settings. British Journal of Psychiatry, 186, 239-246.

• Barkham, M., Rees, A., Leach, C., Shapiro, D.A., Hardy, G.E., & Lucock, M. (2005). Rewiring efficacy studies of depression: An empirical test in transforming BDI-I to CORE-OM scores. Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 2, 11-18.

• Leach, C., Lucock, M., Barkham, M., Noble, R., Clarke, L., & Iveson, S. (2005). Assessing risk and emotional disturbance using the CORE-OM & HoNOS outcome measures. Psychiatric Bulletin, 29, 419-422.

• Bewick, B. M., McBride, J., & Barkham, M. (2006). When clients and practitioners have differing views of risk: Benchmarks for improving assessment and practice. Counselling & Psychotherapy Research, 6(1): 33-40.

• Bewick, B. M., Trusler., K., Mullin, T., Grant, S., Mothersole, G. (2006). Routine outcome measurement completion rates of the CORE-OM in primary care psychological therapies and counselling. Counselling & Psychotherapy Research, 6(1): 50-59.

• Cahill, J., Potter, S., & Mullin, T. (2006). First contact session outcomes in primary care psychological therapy and counselling services. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. 6(1): 41-49.

• Connell, J., Grant, S., & Mullin, T. (2006) Client initiated termination of therapy at NHS primary care counselling services. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. 6(1): 60-67.

• Mullin,T., Barkham, M., Mothersole, G., Bewick, B.M., & Kinder, A. (2006). Recovery and improvement benchmarks in routine primary care mental health settings. Counselling & Psychotherapy Research. 6(1): 68-80.

• Trusler, K., Doherty, C., Grant, S., Mullin, T., & McBride, J. (2006) Waiting times for primary care counselling services. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. 6(1): 23-32.

• Cahill, J., Barkham, M., Stiles, W.B., Twigg, W., Rees, A., Hardy, G.E., & Evans, C. (In press). Convergent validity of the CORE measures with measures of depression for clients in brief cognitive therapy for depression. Journal of Counseling Psychology.

• Gilbert, N., Barkham, M., Richards, A., & Cameron, I. (in press). The effectiveness of a primary care mental health service delivering brief psychological interventions: A benchmarking study using the CORE System. Primary Care Mental Health.

• Leach, C., Lucock, M., Barkham, M., Stiles, W.B., Noble, R., & Iveson, S. (in press). Transforming between Beck Depression Inventory and CORE-OM scores in routine clinical practice. British Journal of Clinical Psychology.

• Lyne, J., Barrett, P., Evans, C., & Barkham, M. (in press). Dimensions of variation on the CORE-OM amongst patients attending for psychological therapy. British Journal of Clinical Psychology.

• Stiles, W.B., Barkham, M., Twigg, E., Mellor-Clark, J., & Cooper, M. (2006). Effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural, person-centred, and psychodynamic therapies as practiced in United Kingdom National Health Service settings. Psychological Medicine,36,555-566

External Links

http://www.coreims.co.uk/ Main website.