Modern medicine increasingly judges itself by long-term outcomes. In cancer care, we routinely compare treatments according to whether patients survive longer. In cardiology, we ask whether interventions prevent future heart attacks and extend life. This long-term data allows healthcare to continually improve.
Child and adolescent mental health services are different. Long-term outcomes have received little attention. Success, instead, is largely judged using measures such as waiting times, access targets and short-term symptom improvements.
