Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Testing A Theory Of Strategic Implementation Leadership, Implementation Climate, And Clinicians’ Use Of Evidence-Based Practice: A 5-Year Panel Analysis, Nathaniel J. Williams, Courtney Benjamin Wolk, Emily M. Becker-Haimes, Rinad S. Beidas

Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Implementation theory suggests that first-level leaders, sometimes referred to as middle managers, can increase clinicians’ use of evidence-based practice (EBP) in healthcare settings by enacting specific leadership behaviors (i.e., proactive, knowledgeable, supportive, perseverant with regard to implementation) that develop an EBP implementation climate within the organization; however, longitudinal and quasi-experimental studies are needed to test this hypothesis.

Methods: Using data collected at three waves over a 5-year period from a panel of 30 outpatient children’s mental health clinics employing 496 clinicians, we conducted a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences study to test whether within-organization change in implementation leadership predicted within-organization …