Research Article Support Systems for Treatment Integrity

Objective: This systematic review evaluates the content of effective support provided to practitioners of evidence-based interventions in order to establish and maintain treatment integrity. Method: Four articles covering six outcome studies are included in this review, these studies (1) adequately operationalized treatment integrity procedures and (2) showed sufficient effects of the support on levels of treatment integrity. Results: The results show that an effective support system consists of a minimum combination of training and ongoing support (supervision, consultation, and coaching), preferably extended with booster sessions.Conclusions: The review provides specific information on effective content of this support which practitioners and intervention developers can use in order to establish and maintain treatment integrity of their planned interventions. Keywords Support systems, evidence-based interventions, treatment integrity Over the last decade, much attention has been paid to the development and implementation of evidence-based inter-vention programs for troubled youths. One of the main difficulties with these evidence-based interventions are the disappointing treatment outcomes outside the research set-ting. Researchers frequently conclude that low treatment fidelity may be the cause of disappointing results of these interventions in the practice field (Schoenwald, Chapman, Sheidow, & Carter, 2009; Sexton & Turner, 2010; Tennyson, 2009). Treatment fidelity or integrity refers to the degree to which the practitioner utilizes an interventions prescribed procedures, avoids proscribed procedures (adherence), and proves the right level of skills and clinical acumen (compe-tence) in delivering the components of the treatment (Barber