Review the new SE fidelity scale online (click here).
IMPLEMENTATION
For more information about implementing Supported Employment, the evidence-based practice, contact the following:
Cleveland, OH—The Ohio SE CCOE is now using a revised fidelity scale to assist mental health service organizations in Ohio that are implementing the evidence-based Supported Employment (SE) model. Evaluators from the CCOE have already conducted fidelity reviews using the new scale at several organizations across the state and plan to conduct at least one review with the new scale at all evidence-based SE programs in Ohio by the end of the year. The consultants are also helping staff at each mental health organization compare current and previous fidelity results. The Ohio SE CCOE is an initiative of the Center for Evidence-Based Practices.
|
The evidence-based SE model and fidelity scale were originally designed by researchers at the New Hampshire-Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center (PRC). The researchers have been tracking fidelity and outcomes data for the model over time from multiple sites across the United States and have used this knowledge to revise the fidelity scale. The evidence-based SE model's core principles and components remain unchanged.
The revised fidelity scale was released by the New Hampshire-Dartmouth PRC in January 2008 and is helping organizations implement the principles and practices of SE in a way that enhances elements of the practice that are believed to improve competitive employment outcomes for consumers in recovery from severe mental illness. Some notable enhancements to the current 25-item instrument include the following:
In behavioral healthcare settings, the generic term supported employment is often used to describe a wide variety of vocational supports and services. However, Supported Employment, the evidence-based practice, is a very specific way of providing employment services to people diagnosed with severe mental illness. Research demonstrates that providing evidence-based employment services with high fidelity to the model generates improved consumer outcomes consistently over time. The evidence-based SE model has seven distinct principles that distinguish it from traditional vocational services (click here).
In the context of implementing an evidence-based practice (EBP), the term fidelity refers to how closely a service organization follows the EBP model in everyday practice. Research shows that organizations which maintain fidelity to the original design of an EBP like Supported Employment achieve and sustain the best outcomes for the intended population(s) and, thus, are the most effective at helping improve the quality of life for consumers and their families.
A fidelity scale is a measurement and evaluation instrument that serves several purposes:
A fidelity-assessment team comprised of reviewers external to the agency uses the fidelity scale to conduct a fidelity review (or assessment), which provides a formal mechanism for evaluation of EBP services. The fidelity review is not an audit or accreditation process. It is strictly a quality-improvement process that provides organizations with information to make decisions about next steps. After the fidelity review is completed, the following typically occur:
For more information about the fidelity-review/assessment process, consult these resources:
For more information about implementing Supported Employment, the evidence-based practice, contact the following:
An Instrument for Improving Quality of Life (4m 50s)