Objective: We describe a research program to advance youth mental health service research in Australia, addressing two core knowledge gaps: the lack of available routine outcome measures and lack of understanding of how to assess and monitor complexity and heterogeneity in illness presentation and trajectory.
Conclusions: Our research identifies better routine outcome measures (ROM) that are: designed specifically for the developmental nuances of the 12-25-year age range; multidimensional; and meaningful to young people, their carers, and service providers. Alongside much-needed new measures of complexity and heterogeneity, these tools will inform service providers to better meet the needs of young people presenting with mental health problems.
Keywords: Australia; Youth mental health; health care; mental health services; outcome assessment.