Symposia
Dissemination & Implementation Science
Elizabeth P. Casline, M.S.
Doctoral Candidate
University of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida
Grace Woodard, BS
Predoctoral Psychology Trainee
Unviersity of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida
Zabin S. Patel, MS, MPH
Doctoral Candidate
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
Dominique Phillips, B.S.
Predoctoral Psychology Trainee
University of Miami
Miami, FL
Jill Ehrenreich-May, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Miami
Miami, Florida
Golda Ginsburg, PhD
Professor
University of Connecticut School of medicine
West Hartford, Connecticut
Amanda Jensen-Doss, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Miami
Miami, Florida
The effectiveness of measurement-based care (MBC), an evidence-based practice which uses regularly collected assessment data to guide clinical decision-making, is impacted by whether and how therapists use information from MBC tools. To date, most MBC implementation studies have emphasized measure administration and therapist viewing of feedback data. Less attention is paid to how therapists incorporate or discuss assessment data in session. Improved characterization of MBC data use in treatment sessions is needed to understand variability in MBC effectiveness and guide future implementation efforts. To meet this need, this study examined the frequency and content of therapist reported discussion of MBC assessment data in treatment sessions. Therapist (N =30) were randomly assigned to deliver MBC in addition to their usual care practice as part of a comparative effectiveness trail of treatments for adolescent anxiety and depression. Therapists were predominately master’s level (90%), female (93.3%), and an average of 33.8 years old (SD = 10.6). Therapists were trained to deliver MBC at every session by administering the Youth Outcome Questionnaire through an online measurement feedback system called OQ Analyst. Therapists completed 542 sessions with 56 adolescents (Mage = 14.8, SD = 1.8, 67.9% cisgender female). Therapists completed a session summary form after each session in which they indicated whether they discussed the data with the client or caregiver and described any changes they made to the session or treatment plan based on the MBC data. Frequency of data discussion was summarized using descriptive statistics. Therapist written explanations of how they used MBC data in session (n = 116) were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Therapists reported sharing data with client and caregivers in an average of 34.6% and 27.4% of sessions respectively. Therapists reported changes to their session or treatment plans based on MBC data in an average of 21.1% of sessions. When describing these changes, therapists described small practice changes (e.g., discussed current symptoms, taught new treatment skills) rather than more global practices changes (e.g., changed treatment goals, planned for treatment termination). Further analyses will examine whether the frequency of discussing MBC data in session is related to treatment outcomes. Overall, therapists inconsistently use MBC data, highlighting the need for improved training in how to use data in session to guide collaborative treatment decision-making with clients.