About the Guide
This Resource Guide was created out of a need to integrate evidence-based practices into mental health service systems. This need was highlighted in the 1999 Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health that emphasizes the gap between science and practice, and calls for an increase in the use of evidence-based practices in mental health. The 2003 President’s New Freedom Commission Report reinforces this call to bring practices with documented positive outcomes to the field, thus aiding in the transformation of the entire mental health system.
According to the Institute of Medicine (2001), “evidence-based practice is the integration of the best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values.” However, efforts to integrate EBPs into service systems have shown that we need supportive system and organizational cultures in which evidence-based and promising practices can grow and be sustained.
The term evidence-based culture is defined here as characteristics or features of organizations and systems that support the use of EBPs. The purpose of this resource guide is to provide families and youth, practitioners, and administrators with information and resources that can lead to continuous quality improvement within an evidence-based culture in children’s mental health service systems and organizations.
References
Institute of Medicine. (2001). Crossing the quality chasm: A new health system for the 21st century. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. (http://www.iom.edu/CMS/8089/5432.aspx)
President’s New Freedom Commission (2003). Report of the President’s
New Freedom
Commission on Mental Health. Rockville, MD: U.S. DHHS.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1999). Mental health: A report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. DHHS.
Printable Text-only Version of the Resource Guide.
(Please note that Adobe Acrobat is required.)