Measurement-based care (MBC), the routine collection and use of patient-reported data to monitor progress and tailor treatment, has been predominantly studied in adult treatment settings. Although growing evidence supports MBC effectiveness with youth in outpatient settings and university training clinics, there is a substantial dearth of findings about successful implementation of MBC in "real world" youth treatment settings, particularly intensive settings offering group-based treatment. The current manuscript provides a foundational model of MBC implementation for "real world" intensive outpatient programs (IOP) for youth using the organizational framework of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). We also illustrate MBC implementation within a hospital-based adolescent psychiatric IOP, including enhancements to the foundational model and timely discussion of adjustments necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic and transition to telehealth. Given the promising transdiagnostic and transtheoretical applicability of MBC, coupled with the MBC mandate for Joint Commission accredited health-care systems, IOP programs are well-positioned to adopt, implement and sustain MBC with careful attention to a phased, multilevel implementation approach.
In this paper, we describe the process of implementing measurement-based care (MBC) in the adolescent partial hospital program setting. First, we outline the rationale for incorporating MBC in this treatment setting. Second, we describe the partial hospital setting in which implementation took place, including the patient population, treatment providers, and structure of programming. Next, we outline the initial implementation of standardized assessments into our programming, including key initial considerations and challenges during implementation. We describe the importance of considering the primary symptom presentations of the patient population when selecting assessment tools, the importance of leveraging existing electronic health record tools to efficiently track and record data collection, and the ability to integrate assessments into clinical workflows. Fourth, we present data describing compliance with implementation, patient outcomes, and providers' attitudes towards and knowledge of MBC following implementation. We found after the initial implementation period, compliance was high. We also found providers had an overall positive perception of the use of MBC, reporting they perceived it to be helpful to both their clinical practice and patient outcomes. Finally, we discuss future directions for best utilizing standardized assessments in intensive treatment settings.
Promoting equity in health services requires an understanding of the mechanisms that produce disparities. Utilizing a sequential, mixed-methods, explanatory study design, we analyzed child-, family-, and organizational-level factors and their association with wait times for an ASD diagnostic evaluation among 353 families scheduled for English and Spanish language appointments (27% Spanish language). A subset of parents and caregivers participated in English and Spanish language focus groups to provide their perspectives on the diagnostic process. Spanish language was associated with greater completion of, and time to evaluations than English language. The only variable found to mediate associations with time-to-evaluation was appointment availability - an organizational factor. Qualitative results elucidate potential explanations for greater Spanish language evaluation completion (e.g., fewer community-based diagnostic options). Results serve as a case study to support the utility and importance of analyzing the influence of organizational-level factors on delays and disparities for childhood health and mental health services. We discuss our findings in relation to strategies that can be widely applied to support equitable services access for childhood diagnostic and intervention services.
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges to delivery of preventive and mental health services, and providers have rapidly transitioned to telehealth service provision. Factors such as sudden isolation, financial strain, and physical and mental health stress presented unique challenges for providers and families and highlight the need for accessible and effective services. Thus, providers' fidelity of implementation during the pandemic is an important area for research. The current observational study compared providers' fidelity across in-person and telehealth-delivered sessions before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC), a preventive parent coaching intervention for infants and toddlers. Participants included 24 providers (95% female, 42% White, M age = 37) who participated in ABC training and consultation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Providers' fidelity data (N = 593 sessions) were modeled longitudinally using hierarchical linear modeling, and separate intercepts and slopes were estimated for in-person and telehealth-delivered sessions. When data were modeled across all available sessions, results indicated that providers demonstrated improving fidelity over the course of training. When in-person and telehealth-delivered sessions were compared, providers' fidelity in telehealth-delivered ABC sessions was not significantly different from their fidelity in in-person sessions. Providers demonstrated improving fidelity over time in telehealth-delivered sessions. Thus, providers were able to maintain and improve ABC fidelity during the COVID-19 pandemic when provided with implementation support. Rapid transition to telehealth delivery can be successful when ongoing support such as consultation is provided.
Over the past several years, family accommodation (FA) has gained increasing recognition for its role in child and adolescent anxiety disorders. Recent clinical trials highlight the importance of assessing and addressing FA within the context of treatment, with findings showing that FA is a significant predictor of treatment success. This clinical update was prompted by such findings, and specifically findings from a study by Zilcha-Mano and colleagues (2020) which suggest that the level of agreement between child- and parent-reports of FA has differential effects on outcomes for child- and parent-based treatments. In this article we aim to provide (1) a brief overview of the research pointing to the reduction of FA as a critical ingredient of youth anxiety treatment, and (2) a summary and in-depth discussion of the study by Zilcha-Mano et al. (2020) that speaks to the potential importance of leveraging multi-informant reports of FA. With regard to the latter aim, we offer preliminary suggestions for how clinicians might incorporate measures of FA into their practice to maximize benefits for anxious youth and their families. We also offer suggestions for how future research can build on these novel findings, advance methods of FA assessment, and promote its clinical utility.