Moving an Evidence-Based Intervention Into Routine Mental Health Care: A Multifaceted Case Example

Abstract

Many evidence-based interventions fail to translate into routine care for individuals experiencing significant mental health disorders. Moving the evidence-based intervention from the controlled research settings to the broader mental health systems is an ongoing challenge for administrators and practitioners in the mental health delivery network. In the United States, the movement to bring evidence-based mental health interventions into the public mental health system to enhance consumer recovery and improve outcomes has been a major thrust of federal and state efforts over the past 10 years (IOM, 2006; New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, 2003 New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. (2003). Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America. Executive Summary. DHHS Pub. No. SMA-03-3831. Rockville, MD. http://www.michigan.gov/documents/NewFreedomMHReportExSum_83175_7.pdf (http://www.michigan.gov/documents/NewFreedomMHReportExSum_83175_7.pdf) [Google Scholar]; Michigan Mental Health Commission, 2004 Michigan Mental Health Commission. (2004, October 15). Part I: Final Report. http://www.michigan.gov/documents/FINAL_MHC_REPORT_PART_1_107061_7.pdf (http://www.michigan.gov/documents/FINAL_MHC_REPORT_PART_1_107061_7.pdf) [Google Scholar]; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 1999. Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General—Executive Summary, Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health. [Google Scholar]). Using a multifaceted case example, this article will address one state's efforts to implement an evidence-based intervention, Family Group Psychoeducation (FPE), into routine care for individuals living with schizophrenia and their families. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) (Damshcroder et al., 2009 Damshcroder, L., Aron, D., Keith, R., Kirsh, S., Alexander, J., & Lowery, J. (2009). Fostering implementation of health services research findings into practice: A consolidated framework for advancing implementation science. Implementation Science, 4(50). http://www.implementationscience.com/content/4/1/50 (http://www.implementationscience.com/content/4/1/50) [Google Scholar]) guides the discussion of the dissemination efforts. This CFIR framework involves examining five major domains: intervention characteristics, outer setting, inner setting, characteristics of the individuals involved, and the process of implementation