Consumers and families as partners in implementing evidence-based practice.
Evidence-based practices represent an extremely important advance in the mental health system, and NAMI continues its support of efforts to develop and implement these interventions. Moving forward, the authors envision consumers and family members playing a much greater role in developing and promulgating EBP. Individually and corporately, consumers can: facilitate research that will expedite equitable implementation of existing and new EBPs; play a significant role in providing services; play a lead role in promoting policies that support EBP implementation through the development and use of advocacy toolkits; influence provider adaptation of EBP through the broad development and testing of resources that urge EBP consumerism; and, advance through the monitoring of EBP. These consumer-led activities generally have been relegated to a lower level of importance in the current research, policy, and funding environment leading to poorly developed partnerships and "buy in" from the consumer community. It is important that the level of importance of these activities and the role of consumers and families be rethought. Further advancement of EBP will require implementing a three-track program of research, including a much greater focus on action research and the involvement of consumers as research and evaluation partners. This is the fastest and most effective way to achieve breakthrough results in practices for treating people with serious mental illnesses and to address the serious and growing problem of racial and cultural disparities and the disconnect that causes between those individuals and the means to their recovery. The hope of consumers and families rest on the ability to initiate action now.
Birkel
Richard C
RC
NAMI, 2107 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22201, USA. rick@nami.org
Hall
Laura Lee
LL
Lane
Tom
T
Cohan
Kathryn
K
Miller
Joel
J
D003256:Community Participation; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011368:Professional-Family Relations