Web Tool to Disseminate Empirically-based Interventions to Schools Phase II

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Schools are the primary setting within which children receive mental health (MH) services. The effectiveness of MH programs has been repeatedly demonstrated for a wide array of MH problems, including behavioral and emotional disorders, substance abuse, ADHD, and suicidality. However, despite their availability, as well as recent education and federal financial incentives for use of programs supported by empirical evidence, MH evidence-based interventions (EBIs) are rarely used in everyday practice by schools. Further, school MH EBIs that have proven effective under strict research conditions often fail to achieve their intended outcomes when delivered in the "real world". A wealth of research indicates the quality of EBI implementation is directly related to 1) the likelihood the intervention will be integrated and sustained within the school setting and 2) the strength of its treatment effects. The goal of this Phase II SBIR is to continue the research and development of CenterVention, a web-based technology infrastructure designed to promote broad-scale quality implementation of school MH EBIs. CenterVention will provide cost-effective high quality training, on-going implementation assistance, intervention resources, and adherence monitoring to support EBI implementation and sustainability within schools. Phase I prototype development and feasibility testing with key stakeholders were successfully completed, providing substantial support for the CenterVention product as well as specific recommendations for Phase II development. The first aim of Phase II is to revise each CenterVention component to enhance its usability and value. Once the full technology infrastructure is complete, we will integrate a third, independent school MH EBI and examine the usability of this new CenterVention application with school MH providers, teachers, administrators, and intervention developers. The second aim of Phase II is to conduct a rigorous, longitudinal test of the CenterVention product comparing two randomized conditions: Implementation-As-Usual (IAU; i.e., traditional EBI implementation with no CenterVention support) and Enhanced Implementation (EI; i.e., CenterVention-supported implementation). Five implementation outcomes will be examined: (1) readiness for EBI implementation, (2) adherence to EBI protocol, (3) satisfaction with the EBI and its implementation support, (4) sustainability of the EBI over time, and (5) treatment benefits for students. The third aim of Phase II is to finalize all product components based on Phase II findings and evaluations and prepare CenterVention for Phase III commercialization. This SBIR project will yield a flexible, scalable technology infrastructure that can be applied to any school MH EBI to effectively decrease costs (time, financial, personnel) to both schools and intervention developers, enhance the integrity with which EBIs are implemented in the school setting, and increase dissemination of EBIs into real world everyday practice. The proposed WDT not only offers the potential for significant societal benefits, but also addresses a large, currently untapped market.