PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

Background: Outpatient university clinics for psychotherapy (as they have been established in accordance with the German psychotherapy law of 1999) are important facilitators of psychotherapy research. These clinics gather a considerable amount of data on therapy outcome as well as on patient and therapist characteristics. Setting up closer research cooperation between clinics offers the opportunity to systematically analyze and evaluate data. Objective: To present the results of a survey that assessed the most relevant features of outpatient university clinics in Germany. Based on our results, we propose recommendations for an improved integration of the data. Method: We identified and contacted N = 53 outpatient university clinics in Germany. The clinics received a questionnaire that assessed the number of patients treated per year, the instruments used for clinical psychological assessment, and the measurements for general psychological distress and disorder-specific symptoms. Results: The response rate was 100%. Overall, about 10,000 new patients children, adolescents, and adults are treated in these clinics per year. Instruments used for diagnostic purposes and for assessing general psychological distress are highly comparable, whereas a variety of different measurements for disorder-specific symptoms are in use. The software for handling these data is diverse and to some extent incompatible. Conclusion: We highlight the opportunities and challenges associated with the implementation of such research collaboration.