Strategies for disseminating evidence-based practices to staff who treat people with serious mental illness.

Evidence-based practices have not been widely implemented in real-world treatment settings for several reasons, including existing state laws, administrative policies, funding priorities, advocates' concerns, and program staffing. Dissemination strategies focus largely on program staffing and the question of why treatment teams that are responsible for assisting people with serious mental illness fail to use evidence-based practices. In a review of the research literature, two barriers to staff dissemination emerge: individual service providers lack the necessary knowledge and skills to assimilate these practices, and certain organizational dynamics undermine the treatment teams' ability to implement and maintain innovative approaches. Three sets of strategies are useful for overcoming these barriers and fostering dissemination: packaging evidence-based practices so that specific interventions are more accessible and user-friendly to service providers; educating providers about relevant knowledge and skills; and addressing the organizational dynamics of the team to facilitate the implementation of innovations. Research on dissemination is relatively new and is less well developed than the clinical and services research enterprise that has led to evidence-based practices. Implications for future studies are discussed.     

Implementing an Evidence-Based Parenting Program in Community Agencies: What Helps and What Gets in the Way?

Adoption of evidence-based programs for families by community agencies requires an understanding of variables that influence implementation. Managers and service providers from 64 community agencies reported on variables that affected the implementation of Triple P, an evidence-based parenting program. Both types of stakeholders reported adequate office resources; over half the managers and over two-thirds of service providers reported adequate training. Adequate office resources and positive agency characteristics, including organizational climate, were associated with higher program usage. Service providers' reports of the variables impacted their individual adherence rates; managers had broader perspectives of the quality of implementation in their organizations.     

Modeling the Decision of Mental Health Providers to Implement Evidence-Based Children’s Mental Health Services: A Discrete Choice Conjoint Experiment

Using an online, cross sectional discrete choice experiment, we modeled the influence of 14 implementation attributes on the intention of 563 providers to adopt hypothetical evidence-based children’s mental health practices (EBPs). Latent class analysis identified two segments. Segment 1 (12%) would complete 100% of initial training online, devote more time to training, make greater changes to their practices, and introduce only minor modifications to EBPs. Segment 2 (88%) preferred fewer changes, more modifications, less training, but more follow-up. Simulations suggest that enhanced supervisor support would increase the percentage of participants choosing the intensive training required to implement EBPs. The dissemination of EBPs needs to consider the views of segments of service providers with differing preferences regarding EBPs and implementation process design.     

Dissemination of an evidence-based intervention to parents of children with behavioral problems in a developing country

This project describes the dissemination of an evidence-based parenting skills intervention by training social and health workers with little or no mental health background so that they themselves train mothers of children with behavioral problems in impoverished communities in a developing country. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was completed by mothers to screen for children with behavioral problems and was repeated at the end of the intervention. Pre- and post-tests of knowledge and parenting attitudes were administered to mothers. Mental health workers trained social and health workers in social development centers and dispensaries. Each social and health worker trained mothers of children with behavioral problems under supervision utilizing an Arabic adaptation of the treatment manual for externalizing disorders “Helping Challenging Children” developed by the Integrated Services Taskforce of the World Psychiatric Association Child Mental Health Presidential Programme. A total of 20 workers and 87 mothers participated in the training. The proportion of children who obtained an SDQ total difficulties score in the abnormal range decreased from 54.4 to 19.7% after the training. Whereas 40.2% of mothers used severe corporal punishment with their children before the intervention, this decreased to 6.1% post-intervention. Three-fourths of mothers related that the program helped them develop new parenting skills. This pilot project demonstrated the feasibility of dissemination of a manual-based intervention and training of workers who have little background in mental health to offer effective services to families in impoverished communities who otherwise would have not received them. Successful replication in other developing countries would pave the way to incorporating such programs in national policies given their potential sustainability and cost-effectiveness.     

Launching a Competency-Based Training Program in Evidence-Based Treatments for PTSD: Supporting Veteran-Serving Mental Health Providers in Texas

Community mental health providers play an essential role in delivering services to veterans who either have limited access to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities or who prefer to seek care outside of the VA. However, there are limited training opportunities in evidence-based treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) outside of the VA. In 2017, the STRONG STAR Training Initiative was established to develop competency-based training in two evidence-based therapies for PTSD and to provide that training for mental health providers serving veterans and their families in community settings in Texas. This article describes the program’s development and implementation, baseline characteristics of participating clinicians, and lessons learned toward the scale-up and extension of this competency-based training effort to include other interventions and locations.

     

Predictors of Program Use and Child and Parent Outcomes of A Brief Online Parenting Intervention

Web-based parenting interventions have the potential to increase the currently low reach of parenting programs, but few evidence-based online programs are available, and little is known about who benefits from this delivery format. This study investigated if improvements in child behavior and parenting, following participation in a brief online parenting program (Triple P Online Brief), can be predicted by family and program-related factors. Participants were 100 parents of 2–9-year-old children displaying disruptive behavior problems. Regression analyses showed that higher baseline levels of child behavior problems, older parental age and more intense conflict over parenting pre-intervention predicted greater improvement in child behavior at 9-month follow-up. Improvement in parenting was predicted by higher pre-intervention levels of ineffective parenting. Family demographics, parental adjustment and program related factors did not predict treatment outcomes. Younger child age and lower disagreement over parenting pre-intervention predicted completion of the recommended minimum dose of the program.     

Predicting Utilization of Evidence-Based Parenting Interventions with Organizational,Service-Provider and Client Variables

Multidisciplinary service providers (N = 611) who underwent training in the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program participated in a structured interview 6 months following training to determine their level of post-training program use and to identify any facilitators and barriers to program use. Findings revealed that practitioners who had received training in Group Triple P, received positive client feedback, had experienced only minor barriers to implementation, and had consulted with other Triple P practitioners following training were more likely to become high users of the program. Practitioners were less likely to use the program when they had lower levels of confidence in delivering Triple P and in consulting with parents in general, had difficulties in incorporating Triple P into their work, and where there was low workplace support. These findings highlight the importance of considering the broader post training work environment of service providers as a determinant of subsequent program use.     

Evidence-based practices in geriatric mental health care

The past decade has seen dramatic growth in research on treatments for the psychiatric problems of older adults. An emerging evidence base supports the efficacy of geriatric mental health interventions. The authors provide an overview of the evidence base for clinical practice. They identified three sources of evidence-evidence-based reviews, meta-analyses, and expert consensus statements-on established and emerging interventions for the most common disorders of late life, which include depression, dementia, substance abuse, schizophrenia, and anxiety. The most extensive research support was found for the effectiveness of pharmacological and psychosocial interventions for geriatric major depression and for dementia. Less is known about the effectiveness of treatments for the other disorders, although emerging evidence is promising for selected interventions. Empirical support was also found for the effectiveness of community-based, multidisciplinary, geriatric psychiatry treatment teams. The authors discuss barriers to implementing evidence-based practices in the mental health service delivery system for older adults. They describe approaches to overcoming these barriers that are based on the findings of research on practice change and dissemination. Successful approaches to implementing change in the practices of providers emphasize moving beyond traditional models of continuing medical education to include educational techniques that actively involve the learner, as well as systems change interventions such as integrated care management, implementation toolkits, automated reminders, and decision support technologies. The anticipated growth in the population of older persons with mental disorders underscores the need for a strategy to facilitate the systematic and effective implementation of evidence-based practices in geriatric mental health care.     

Strategies for leading the implementation of evidence-based practices.

Many mental health authority and program administrators would like to implement behavioral health practices that have been demonstrated to be effective. Leading practice implementation involves promoting behavior change in health care providers. Reviews of the general medical literature on practice change conclude that education alone has little impact on practitioner behavior and that intensive, multifaceted interventions that attend to local circumstances have the greatest likelihood of affecting change. This article briefly reviews the literature on health care practice change and offers some strategy suggestions for administrators who are leading evidence-based practice implementation initiatives.     

The Effect of a Change Agent on Use of Evidence-Based Mental Health Practices

Children’s service systems are faced with a critical need to disseminate evidence-based mental health interventions. Despite the proliferation of comprehensive implementation models, little is known about the key active processes in effective implementation strategies. This proof of concept study focused on the effect of change agent interactions as conceptualized by Rogers’ diffusion of innovation theory on providers’ (N = 57) use of a behavioral intervention in a child welfare agency. An experimental design compared use for providers randomized to training as usual or training as usual supplemented by change agent interactions after the training. Results indicate that the enhanced condition increased use of the intervention, supporting the positive effect of change agent interactions on use of new practices. Change agent types of interaction may be a key active process in implementation strategies following training.     

Factors impacting trauma treatment practice patterns: the convergence/divergence of science and practice

OBJECTIVE: This study surveyed the practice patterns of behavioral health providers to determine the degree to which providers in this study utilized evidence-based approaches when dealing with traumatized individuals and the extent to which these practice methods vary as a result of population density or provider characteristics. METHOD: A survey instrument was designed specifically for this study. The Trauma Practices Questionnaire (TPQ) a 22-item trauma treatment practice utilization scale was mailed to all licensed or certified behavioral health providers in a southern state (N=5752). Responses of 1121 professionals who represent seven disciplines are reported. RESULTS: Gender and the acquisition of specialized trauma training impacted the way providers practice. Discipline-specific differences became statistically nonsignificant when controlling for gender. Several areas of guideline convergence were uncovered (e.g. the frequent use of CBT) as well as practices that were divergent from best practice recommendations, especially with regards to the use of psychopharmacological interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight issues related to translational research dissemination and training practices, as well as factors that might affect clinician's acceptance of and compliance with evidence-based practices.     

Evidence-Based Mental Health Programs in Schools: Barriers and Facilitators of Successful Implementation

Although schools can improve children’s access to mental health services, not all school-based providers are able to successfully deliver evidence-based practices. Indeed, even when school clinicians are trained in evidence-based practices (EBP), the training does not necessarily result in the implementation of those practices. This study explores factors that influence implementation of a particular EBP, Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS). Semi-structured telephone interviews with 35 site administrators and clinicians from across the United States were conducted 6–18 months after receiving CBITS training to discuss implementation experiences. The implementation experiences of participants differed, but all reported similar barriers to implementation. Sites that successfully overcame such barriers differed from their unsuccessful counterparts by having greater organizational structure for delivering school services, a social network of other clinicians implementing CBITS, and administrative support for implementation. This study suggests that EBP implementation can be facilitated by having the necessary support from school leadership and peers.     

Implementation of evidence-based practices in state mental health systems: implications for research and effectiveness studies

There is a huge gap between knowledge and practice, and between what is known through research and what is actually implemented in public mental health systems. In the past 2 decades, rigorous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of various treatments and interventions but these findings have not resulted in broad-based implementation. A major contention of this article is that while there is a growing body of knowledge related to evidence-based practices, there is a lack of understanding and research related to factors critical for implementation. This article reviews the current status of implementation of evidence-based practices in the public mental health system and identifies challenges and barriers related to their dissemination. Based on this analysis, this article proposes a research agenda that promotes the development of a science of implementation of evidence-based practices.     

Implementing dual diagnosis services for clients with severe mental illness

After 20 years of development and research, dual diagnosis services for clients with severe mental illness are emerging as an evidence-based practice. Effective dual diagnosis programs combine mental health and substance abuse interventions that are tailored for the complex needs of clients with comorbid disorders. The authors describe the critical components of effective programs, which include a comprehensive, long-term, staged approach to recovery; assertive outreach; motivational interventions; provision of help to clients in acquiring skills and supports to manage both illnesses and to pursue functional goals; and cultural sensitivity and competence. Many state mental health systems are implementing dual diagnosis services, but high-quality services are rare. The authors provide an overview of the numerous barriers to implementation and describe implementation strategies to overcome the barriers. Current approaches to implementing dual diagnosis programs involve organizational and financing changes at the policy level, clarity of program mission with structural changes to support dual diagnosis services, training and supervision for clinicians, and dissemination of accurate information to consumers and families to support understanding, demand, and advocacy.     

A Common Factors Approach to Improving the Mental Health Capacity of Pediatric Primary Care

To expand the mental health service capacity of pediatric primary care, we ask whether there are evidence-based skills to allow providers to 1) immediately begin treatment for children with emotional and behavioral problems while diagnostic procedures are being pursued, and 2) offer evidence-based care to children who do not meet criteria for a specific diagnosis. We discuss why the epidemiology of child mental health problems poses difficulties for disorder-specific mental health interventions, and review evidence that "common factors" contributing to the outcome of mental health treatments define a core set of skills that primary care providers might use to complement disorder-specific interventions.     

Next generation of preventive interventions

OBJECTIVE: With increasing numbers of efficacious prevention programs, the field needs strategies to disseminate the interventions broadly. METHOD: The authors examined the life course of prevention programs, identified barriers to dissemination, and outlined an alternative dissemination model. RESULTS: Private enterprise models of product development can be viable strategies for increasing the dissemination of the intervention to the general public. Market principles suggest that the next generation of interventions would be facilitated if interventions are initiated by teams committed to a specific problem and investigators receive training in management; if the acceptability of the program's design features to consumers, providers, and funding agencies is established prior to the development and evaluation of the program; if data from national marketing surveys are used to tailor intervention designs and delivery formats for different subgroups; if essential ingredients of the intervention are identified to facilitate adaptation of the program; if the program is implemented with a goal to maintain change over extended periods of time; if the implementation plan includes program evolution over time, rather than replication with fidelity; and if interventions are branded and certified by a credible agency. CONCLUSIONS: Private enterprise models may be useful; however, investigators are likely to be resistant given a priori biases, potential ethical conflicts of interest, and the challenges presented by new technologies (e.g., the Internet and Human Genome Project).     

Characterizing the Use of Research-Community Partnerships in Studies of Evidence-Based Interventions in Children’s Community Services

This study characterized the use of research community partnerships (RCPs) to tailor evidence-based intervention, training, and implementation models for delivery across different childhood problems and service contexts using a survey completed by project principal investigators and community partners. To build on previous RCP research and to explicate the tacit knowledge gained through collaborative efforts, the following were examined: (1) characteristics of studies using RCP models; (2) RCP functioning, processes, and products; (3) processes of tailoring evidence-based practices for community implementation; and (4) perceptions of the benefits and challenges of collaborating with community providers and consumers. Results indicated that researchers were solely or jointly involved in the formation of almost all of the RCPs; interpersonal and operational processes were perceived as primary challenges; community partners’ roles included greater involvement in implementation and participant recruitment than more traditional research activities; and the partnership process was perceived to increase the relevance and “fit” of interventions and research.     

Engaging families in child mental health services

To increase the involvement of urban youth and families who need mental health services, child mental health agencies and providers might consider the following: (1) examining intake procedures and developing interventions to target specific barriers to service use; (2) providing training and supervision to providers to increase a focus on engagement in the first face-to-face meetings with youth and families; (3) providing service delivery options with input from consumers regarding types of services offered. Involvement of youth and their families is a primary goal that must receive as much attention as any other part of the service delivery process. One might argue that without youth and family participation, effective services never will be provided to youth and families in need.     

Barriers and Facilitators in Implementing Illness Management and Recovery for Consumers with Severe Mental Illness: Trainee Perspectives

We conducted an on-line survey of clinicians who attended training on illness management and recovery (IMR) to identify the extent of implementation and barriers and facilitators of IMR practice. Of 89 direct service providers, 50.6% reported using the formal IMR curriculum, 25.8% reported using parts of IMR, and 23.6% never used IMR following training. Factor analysis of facilitator items revealed three internally consistent factors: agency leadership support, program level structure, and job-related structural support. Participants who used formal IMR endorsed a greater percentage of overall facilitators, and scored higher on each of the three factors of agency leadership support, program-level structures (e.g., fidelity reports) and job-related structures (e.g., presence of weekly supervision). In addition to training and toolkit materials, attention needs to be given to other elements to support IMR implementation.     

Iterations of the SafeCare model: an evidence-based child maltreatment prevention program

SafeCare is an evidenced-based parenting program for at-risk and maltreating parents that addresses the social and family ecology in which child maltreatment occurs. SafeCare home visitors focus on behavioral skills that are trained to predetermined performance criteria. Recent research has stressed the importance of successful dissemination and implementation of evidence-based models. This article describes the history of the SafeCare model, critical features involved with past and current implementation of the program, populations that have received SafeCare services, staff who have implemented the program, and factors associated with SafeCare implementation. As well, it notes projects currently occurring in Oklahoma and Kansas and at the Center for Child Well-Treatment, at the Marcus Institute, in Atlanta, Georgia.