Increasing psychotherapists' adoption and implementation of the evidence-based practice of progress monitoring. (January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Persons, Jacqueline B.; Koerner, Kelly; Eidelman, Polina; Thomas, Cannon; Liu, Howard
• Is Part Of: Behaviour research and therapy. Volume 76(2016)
• Page Start: 24
• Page End: 31
• Publication Date: 2016-01
• Subjects: Dissemination -- Adoption -- Implementation -- Evidence-based practice -- Progress monitoring; Cognitive therapy -- Periodicals; Psychotherapy -- Periodicals; 616.891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2015.11.004
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0005-7967

Abstract

Abstract: Evidence-based practices (EBPs) reach consumers slowly because practitioners are slow to adopt and implement them. We hypothesized that giving psychotherapists a tool + training intervention that was designed to help the therapist integrate the EBP of progress monitoring into his or her usual way of working would be associated with adoption and sustained implementation of the particular progress monitoring tool we trained them to use (the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales on our Online Progress Tracking tool) and would generalize to all types of progress monitoring measures. To test these hypotheses, we developed an online progress monitoring tool and a course that trained psychotherapists to use it, and we assessed progress monitoring behavior in 26 psychotherapists before, during, immediately after, and 12 months after they received the tool and training. Immediately after receiving the tool + training intervention, participants showed statistically significant increases in use of the online tool and of all types of progress monitoring measures. Twelve months later, participants showed sustained use of any type of progress monitoring measure but not the online tool. Highlights: We studied the evidence-based practice of monitoring psychotherapy progress. We developed an intervention that consisted of an online tool and training to use it. We emphasized helping therapists overcome obstacles to using the new practice. We assessed therapists' behavior before, during, and after the intervention. Therapists showed sustained use of any progress monitoring tool.