| Course | NR 605 Diagnosis & Management in Psychiatric-Mental Health across the Lifespan I Practicum |
|---|---|
| Week | 7 |
| Paper type | Outcome measure plan |
| Length | About 1,110 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Chamberlain University |
| Program | MSN, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NR 605 Week 7
Outcome Measure Plan: Six Outcomes for T.N., Each Answered for Instrument, Who Produces It, Interval and the Change That Would Mean Something
Student Name
College of Nursing, Chamberlain University
NR 605: Diagnosis & Management in Psychiatric-Mental Health across the Lifespan I Practicum
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Outcome Measure Plan: Six Outcomes for T.N., Each Answered for Instrument, Who Produces It, Interval and the Change That Would Mean Something
Four Questions per Outcome
For each outcome below: which instrument or count; who produces it; at what interval; and what size of change would mean something for a decision.
Outcome 1: Depressive Symptoms
Instrument: PHQ-9, completed by T.N. on a tablet at the start of each visit or by link before a video visit.
Interval: every 2 weeks for the first 8 weeks, then every 4 weeks.
Meaningful change: a fall of 5 points or more is a clinically meaningful change; a fall of 50% from baseline is response; a score below 5 is remission (Löwe et al., 2004).
Baseline: 17.
Why this instrument: it moves within weeks, matches the decision points at weeks 4 and 8 and takes T.N. about two minutes.
Outcome 2: Anxiety
Instrument: GAD-7, completed by T.N. with the PHQ-9 (Spitzer et al., 2006).
Interval: same as the PHQ-9.
Meaningful change: a fall of 4 points or more; a score below 5 as the target.
Baseline: 13.
Outcome 3: Panic Severity
Instrument: Panic Disorder Severity Scale, rated by the clinician in a short interview (Shear et al., 1997).
Interval: monthly.
Meaningful change: a fall of about 40% from baseline treated as response in this plan.
Baseline: 14.
Count alongside it: the weekly tally of attacks T.N. writes in the phone diary, looked at every visit. Baseline: 2.
Outcome 4: Return to Work Duties
Count: days in the past week on which T.N. walked the dock floor during a shift, and sick days taken for panic or low mood in the past month.
Who produces it: T.N., from the shift schedule; T.N. may share it with the manager but does not need to.
Interval: every visit.
Meaningful change: walking the dock floor on at least 3 shifts a week by week 8; no sick days for panic in a month.
Baseline: 0 days on the dock; 2 sick days in the previous month.
Why a count: it is what T.N. is most worried about losing, and no scale measures it directly.
Outcome 5: Sleep
Count: average hours of daytime sleep from a simple diary, filled in each afternoon on waking.
Interval: reviewed at every visit, using the past week.
Meaningful change: at least 6.5 hours average.
Baseline: 4.5 hours.
Outcome 6: Alcohol
Count: drinks per week from the diary. AUDIT-C at baseline and at 12 weeks.
Meaningful change: no more than 2 drinks on any night and an AUDIT-C below the hazardous threshold at 12 weeks.
Baseline: 10 to 12 drinks a week; AUDIT-C 6.
Safety, Measured but Not a Target
The Columbia screen is asked at every visit. It is not an outcome to improve but a floor below which the plan changes immediately.
Measures That Can Move in Time
Every measure above can change within 2 to 4 weeks, matching the decision points at weeks 2, 4, 8 and 12. A measure of functioning that changes over six months, such as a full disability scale, was not chosen because it could not inform the week 8 decision.
Weight as a Side Effect Measure
Weight at every visit, by the clinic scale. Should weight climb past 5% above the starting figure by the eighth week, switching is discussed. Baseline: 79.0 kilograms.
Burden on the Patient
In total, T.N. completes two short questionnaires every two weeks and a one-line diary entry each afternoon covering sleep, panic and drinks. T.N. was asked whether this was too much and said the diary was easy on the phone. The clinician scale takes five minutes of visit time. If T.N. stops completing the diary, the plan falls back to the questionnaires and the work count, rather than abandoning measurement.
Why These Thresholds
Each threshold is set where a change would alter a decision. A fall of 5 points on the PHQ-9 at week 4 means continuing at the current dose; less than that means considering an increase. A halving by week 8 means response; less than that means considering a change. The work count matters most to T.N. and is the outcome T.N. will judge the treatment by, whatever the scales say. Setting the thresholds now, before results arrive, prevents them from being adjusted to fit the results later.
Who Fills In What
T.N. completes the PHQ-9, GAD-7, sleep diary, panic count and drinks count. The clinician rates the Panic Disorder Severity Scale and the Columbia screen and weighs T.N. T.N. reports the work count. Keeping the patient-completed measures separate from the clinician-rated ones means a disagreement between them can be seen, for example if T.N. reports fewer attacks than the clinician's interview suggests.
Practical Arrangements
Each arrangement was agreed with T.N. at the planning visit.
The questionnaires arrive by text message link two days before each video visit, so that results are ready at the start. The diary is a shared note on T.N.'s phone, a format T.N. chose. The clinic scale is used for weight at in-person visits; at video visits, T.N. reports a home weight taken that morning, marked as home-measured.
How the Measures Fit Together
The scales show whether symptoms are improving. The counts show whether T.N.'s life is improving. They usually move together, but not always: a patient can score better on the PHQ-9 and still be avoiding work, or return to work before the scores fall. Where they disagree, the disagreement is itself information and is discussed at the visit.
What Happens if Measurement Stops
If T.N. stops completing the diary, the plan falls back to the two questionnaires and the work count, which can be collected at visits. If T.N. misses a visit, the clinic calls to complete the PHQ-9 and the Columbia screen by phone. Measurement is never allowed to lapse entirely during the first 12 weeks.
Who Sees the Results
T.N. sees each score and the trend at every visit, shown as a simple chart. The therapist receives the PHQ-9 and panic counts monthly, with T.N.'s consent, so that therapy and medication decisions use the same numbers.
What the Plan Does Not Measure
Relationship quality and the child's wellbeing matter to T.N. but are not measured; they are asked about in conversation. The plan does not include cognitive testing, since concentration problems are expected to lift with mood.
References
Löwe, B., Unützer, J., Callahan, C. M., Perkins, A. J., & Kroenke, K. (2004). Monitoring depression treatment outcomes with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Medical Care, 42(12), 1194-1201. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005650-200412000-00006
Shear, M. K., Brown, T. A., Barlow, D. H., Money, R., Sholomskas, D. E., Woods, S. W., Gorman, J. M., & Papp, L. A. (1997). Multicenter collaborative panic disorder severity scale. American Journal of Psychiatry, 154(11), 1571-1575. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.154.11.1571
Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B. W., & Löwe, B. (2006). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: The GAD-7. Archives of Internal Medicine, 166(10), 1092-1097. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092
NR 605 Week 7 instructions, in plain terms
The Week 7 plan answers four questions about every outcome: which instrument or count, who produces it, at what interval and what size of change would mean something. Choose instruments that can move within the time available, since a measure that shifts over six months cannot inform a decision due in four weeks. Mix scales with counts, such as hours slept or days at work. Take a baseline first. Consider the burden on the patient. Most rubrics mark down an outcome nobody could check, a list of well-known scales attached to targets they do not measure, missing baselines and missing thresholds. Say what happens when a scale and a count disagree.
How this NR 605 Week 7 example is built
The sample answers the four questions for six outcomes. Depression uses the PHQ-9 every two weeks with change, response and remission thresholds. Anxiety uses the GAD-7. Panic uses the clinician-rated severity scale monthly alongside a weekly attack count. Work uses dock days and sick days from the shift schedule. Sleep and alcohol use diary counts. Safety and weight are measured but treated differently. Sections explain why every measure can move within weeks, weigh burden, describe what happens if measurement stops, set thresholds where they change decisions, say who fills in what, describe practical arrangements and explain what happens when scales and counts disagree.
NR 605 Week 7 rubric: what full points look like
The heaviest loss is an outcome nobody could check, and every outcome here has an instrument, an author, an interval and a threshold. A catalog of scales attached to the wrong targets costs the next share, while each scale here matches a named target. Missing baselines lose a row, and each outcome lists its baseline. A threshold left out means any change can be called progress, so each threshold is tied to a decision. Weighing burden on the patient earns credit. Counts tied to daily life show the plan measures what matters to the patient. Saying what happens if the patient stops the diary shows the plan survives real life. Setting thresholds before results arrive prevents them from being adjusted later.
NR 605 Week 7 help: mistakes that cost points
Weak NR 605 Week 7 plans state that mood will improve with no instrument or date. Others list several scales without saying which target each measures. Many forget to take a baseline. Thresholds are often missing, so any change looks like progress. Few consider how much the patient is being asked to complete. For each outcome, name the measure, who completes it, how often and what change would alter a decision, and add at least one count tied to daily life. If your targets differ, share them, and a measure plan in this form can be built. Plan for the measures the patient may stop completing.
Get a NR 605 Week 7 example written to your instructions
Send the Week 7 prompt and any measures your classroom names in it. A custom example comes back in 24 to 48 hours with instruments, intervals and thresholds argued rather than listed, and a first request is free. Include your rubric as well if your section publishes one, since the thresholds it rewards are not always obvious.
More NR 605 papers and PMHNP samples
- NR 605 Week 1: Defended First Choice Post
- NR 605 Week 2: Initial Evaluation Note
- NR 605 Week 3: Treatment Plan Write-Up
- NR 605 Week 4: Anxiety Case Analysis
- NR 605 Week 5: Psychotherapy Rationale
- NR 605 Week 6: Follow-Up Note
- NR 605 Week 8: Management Case Paper
- NR 548 Week 7: Difficult Interview Case Analysis
- NR 547 Week 7: Medical Mimic Brief
- NR 546 Week 7: Medication Education Handout
NR 605 Week 7 questions, answered
Do I have to use published instruments?
Not for everything. Published measures give a common language and a threshold other clinicians recognize, so at least one usually belongs in the plan. Plain counts drawn from the person's own life often track the target more closely and cost nothing to collect. Strong plans use both and say what each one is there to do.
What counts as a meaningful change?
Whatever you can defend, stated before the measurement rather than after it. Many instruments carry a published response threshold, and where one exists it belongs in the plan with its source. Where none does, a stated behavioral change works, provided it was named in advance and is specific enough that two readers would agree it happened.
How many outcomes should the plan carry?
Enough to cover the targets in the treatment plan and few enough to collect at every visit. Two or three well chosen measures usually beat six, because a long list looks thorough on paper and quietly guarantees most of it gets skipped once the appointments start running late.
Where can I find a free NR 605 Week 7 sample paper?
The full outcome measure plan with six outcomes, baselines and decision thresholds is on this page.
Why are counts used alongside scales in the NR 605 Week 7 plan?
Scales show whether symptoms improve; counts such as dock days and hours slept show whether the patient's life improves, and disagreements between them are informative.