| resumeang: The goal of efficacy studies is to develop and refine treatments under conditions where the researcher can exercise maximal experimental control in order best to apply the theoretical and empirical principles upon which the treatment is based; the goal of effectiveness studies is to evaluate treatments under the conditions under which they are most likely to be applied. To these two forms of outcome studies one might add a third, which involves the "routine monitoring" of mental health treatments. The objective of routine monitoring studies is not to establish the general effectiveness of a treatment but rather to determine, for a particular clinic or practice group, the parameters of the treatment's effectiveness. The present article uses a broader meaning to explain why a clinic may want to conduct a routine monitoring study of the effectiveness of child psychotherapy. Issues concerning the design and implementation of a routine monitoring study are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2000 APA, all rights reserved): |
