Practical Approaches to Measuring Fidelity in Coordinated Specialty Care for First Episode Psychosis

Mental health programs can address many components of fidelity with routinely available data, and information directly from clients can be used to corroborate these administrative data. Susan Essock, Ph.D., describes a practical approach to measuring fidelity used by the Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode Connection Program (RAISE-CP) and incorporated into the (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/raise/CSC-for-FEP-Ma…(link is external) ). A core challenge in measuring fidelity in treatment systems is to do so reliably and without breaking the bank, ideally by piggy-backing on data that are routinely collected for other purposes. The large majority of the RAISE Connection Program fidelity measures used data commonly present in administrative data sets and electronic medical records. The RAISE CP’s approach to measuring fidelity was parsimonious, consensual, and designed to serve many masters. Dr. Essock will review the RAISE CP fidelity measures and walk us through their findings. For a preview, you can read their published report: http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ps.201400531(link is external)