Impact of Implementing Evidence Based Practices on Organizational Performance

Washington University, Saint Louis MO

Investigators

Abstract

Evidence-based practice (EBP) means using the best available scientific evidence to guide decisions. EBP is of interest to managers in many types of organizations. Implementation of EBP is challenging. A medical organization seeking to adopt EBP must, for example, train clinicians in EBP skills and alter clinical practice resources, norms, structures and incentives away from professional standards toward scientific and technical criteria. This study will examine the ramifications of the implementation of EBP as an innovation in a population of mental-health service agencies. The study builds upon resource dependency theory, theories of punctuated change, new institutionalism, and organizational ecology. The researchers will develop a systems dynamics model and use archival data, interviews and surveys to parameterize and validate it. The study should yield a deeper understanding of the dynamics associated with innovation implementation, and also help regional and state policymakers design more sustainable policies for implementing innovations that can improve public mental health