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Outcome Measures — MRCPsych Paper B MCQ

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ModerateRehabilitationOutcome MeasuresMRCPsych Paper B

A psychiatric rehabilitation team wants a routine measure to assess change in an adult with severe mental illness. The measure should be completed by a clinician following the usual clinical assessment and provide 12 separate ratings spanning behaviour, impairment, symptoms and social functioning. Which measure best meets these requirements?

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Correct answer: D — Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS)

HoNOS is the correct answer. It is a 12-item clinician-completed outcome measure developed for people with severe mental illness. Its domains cover behaviour, impairment, symptoms and social functioning, and repeated ratings can measure clinical change. The SFQ and WSAS assess social or work-related functioning but are principally self-administered rather than broad clinician-rated mental-health outcome measures. MANSA assesses quality of life, which is related to but distinct from clinician-rated clinical and functional outcome. GAF is clinician-rated, but it combines symptoms and functioning into a single global score rather than providing 12 domain-specific ratings. The combination of clinician completion, multidomain coverage and 12 ratings therefore identifies HoNOS.

Reference: Royal College of Psychiatrists. Health of Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS), sections 'HoNOS (2018)' and 'HoNOS (Working age adults)'. Current webpage accessed 19 August 2026. https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/ccqi/health-of-nation-outcome-scales