Practical Applications of a Psychotherapy Tracking Database Across Domains
| Domain | Application | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical | Using MBC to regularly track patient symptoms in the database across psychotherapy sessions allows IBH clinicians to easily evaluate the ongoing impact of brief interventions, collaboratively discuss adjustments to treatment plans with patients, and communicate patient progress with interdisciplinary clinicians. | If a patient’s self-reported depressive symptoms on the PHQ-9 are not improving substantially across psychotherapy sessions, a measurement-based approach can help guide discussions about treatment planning with the patient and primary care clinician. |
| Educational | Clinical supervisors can use the tracking database to examine the most common psychological interventions being applied by IBH clinicians for specific presenting concerns. This strategy allows supervisors to evaluate fidelity to evidence-based care across the practice and to identify opportunities for additional trainings, case consultations, or cotherapy to promote continued learning and growth in the delivery of specific evidence-based interventions. | If data from the database indicate that clinicians are routinely engaging in cognitive restructuring for patients with depression but are rarely focusing on behavioral activation goals, supervisors may choose to focus ongoing trainings and case consultations on the application of behavioral activation in IBH. |
| Research | Interdisciplinary team members can use the large tracking database to collaborate on research projects and contribute to the literature examining psychotherapy processes and outcomes in primary care. Engaging in interdisciplinary, clinically focused research can also promote academic advancement for IBH team members. | The database allows for exploration of potential moderators of treatment outcomes (eg, age, race), an area of the primary care literature that is still limited. |
| Administrative | Data and metrics from the tracking database are incredibly helpful when reporting on practice-level outcomes to departmental and institutional leadership. Tracking data on duration of care and number of therapy sessions per patient can assist with ensuring fidelity to the model and promoting access to IBH services. | The data from the database can help to demonstrate IBH’s positive impact on the primary care patient population, which can offer specific support when advocating for program-level changes such as the need to recruit additional IBH clinicians. |
IBH = integrated behavioral health; MBC = measurement-based care; PHQ-9 = 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire.