The Results of Clinician-Focused Implementation Strategies on Uptake and Outcome of Measurement-Based Care in General Mental Health Care

Abstract BACKGROUND: Measurement-Based Care (MBC) is a promising way to improve outcomes in clinical practice, but the implementation of MBC is often problematic and the uptake by clinicians is low.METHODS: We used an effectiveness-implementation hybrid design based on Grol and Wensing’s implementation framework to examine the results of clinician-focused implementation strategies on both clinicians’ uptake of MBC and outcomes of MBC for clients in general mental health care. Primary outcomes were questionnaire completion rate and discussion of feedback. Secondary outcomes were treatment outcome, treatment length, and satisfaction with treatment. RESULTS: There was a significant medium effect of the MBC implementation strategies on questionnaire completion rate (one part of the clinicians’ uptake), but no significant effect on the amount of discussion of the feedback (the other part of the clinicians’ uptake). Neither was there a significant effect on clients’ outcomes (treatment outcome, treatment length, satisfaction with treatment).CONCLUSIONS: Establishing and sustaining MBC in real world general mental health care is very complex. Our study helps to disentangle the effects of MBC implementation strategies on differential clinician uptake, but the effects of MBC implementation strategies on client outcomes need further examination.