Reliable Self-Report of Health Service Use by Individuals With Serious Mental Illness

The purpose of this study was to determine whether individuals with serious mental illness could consistently report their use of medical services. Twenty-nine individuals with schizophrenia completed a test-retest protocol using a modified version of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey; there was a one-week interval between the two administrations of the instrument. Consistency of reporting was generally strong and was strongest for items indicating whether a service had been used in the past six months, which suggests that people with schizophrenia can provide reliable information about their use of health services. Continued research in this area will increase understanding of the types and quality of medical care received by persons with schizophrenia.