An introduction to measurement-based care: Scientific literature and implementation in military and Veteran care systems.

Abstract

Measurement-based care (MBC) is an evidence-based practice in which patient-reported process and outcome data are routinely and systematically collected to track treatment progress. MBC uses such data to identify when patients are not progressing as expected. In this way, MBC supports clinicians in refining mental health treatment as needed. When implemented consistently, MBC improves patient outcomes. However, the uptake of MBC in military and Veteran mental health care systems has been less than optimal. The authors present their point of view that the challenges in successfully implementing MBC can be traced to two key issues, under-specification of MBC and limitations in implementation science, and they propose several solutions to address these issues in future research on MBC.