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; Michigan Mental Health Commission, 2004; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999). 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) 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.