Finnish Psychotherapy Quality Register: rationale, development, and baseline results

BackgroundThe push to systematically follow treatment outcomes in psychotherapies to improve health care is increasing worldwide. To manage psychotherapeutic services and facilitate tailoring of therapy according to feedback a comprehensive and feasible data system is needed.AimsTo describe the Finnish Psychotherapy Quality Register (FPQR), a comprehensive database on availability, quality, and outcomes of psychotherapies.MethodsWe describe the development of the FPQR and outcome for outsourced psychotherapies for adults in Helsinki and Uusimaa hospital district (HUS). Symptom severity and functioning are measured with validated measures (e.g. CORE-OM, PHQ-9, OASIS, AUDIT, and SOFAS). Questionnaires on therapeutic alliance, risks, methods, and goals are gathered from patients and psychotherapist.ResultsDuring 2018-2021, the FPQR included baseline data for 7274 unique patients and 336 psychotherapists. Response rate of measures was 85-98%. The use of the register was mandatory for the outsourced therapist of the hospital districts, and the patients were strongly recommended to fulfill the questionnaires. We report outcome for three groups of patients (n = 1844) with final/midterm data. The effect sizes for long psychotherapy (Hedge's g = 0.65 of SOFAS) were smaller than those for short psychotherapy (g = 0.75-0.91). Within three months of referral, 26-60% entered treatment depending on short- or long-term therapy.ConclusionThe FPQR forms a novel rich database with commensurate data on availability and outcomes of outsourced psychotherapies. It may serve as a basis for a national comprehensive follow-up system of psychosocial treatments. The Finnish system seems to refer patients with milder symptoms to more intensive treatments and achieve poorer results compared to the IAPT model in UK, Norway, or Australia.

Automated summary

The Finnish Psychotherapy Quality Register (FPQR) is a comprehensive database that records the effectiveness and quality of psychotherapies. By collecting questionnaires from patients and psychotherapists, the register system can manage psychotherapeutic services and tailor therapy according to feedback. From 2018 to 2021, the FPQR collected baseline data for 7274 unique patients and 336 psychotherapists.