title: Enhancing treatment fidelity in health behavior change studies: best practices and recommendations from the NIH Behavior Change Consortium.
abstract: Treatment fidelity refers to the methodological strategies used to monitor and enhance the reliability and validity of behavioral interventions. This article describes a multisite effort by the Treatment Fidelity Workgroup of the National Institutes of Health Behavior Change Consortium (BCC) to identify treatment fidelity concepts and strategies in health behavior intervention research. The work group reviewed treatment fidelity practices in the research literature, identified techniques used within the BCC, and developed recommendations for incorporating these practices more consistently. The recommendations cover study design, provider training, treatment delivery, treatment receipt, and enactment of treatment skills. Funding agencies, reviewers, and journal editors are encouraged to make treatment fidelity a standard part of the conduct and evaluation of health behavior intervention research.
authors.affiliation: Appleton Cardiology Associates, Appleton Heart Institute, Appleton, WI 54911, USA. albert.bellg@thedacare.org
authors.forename: Albert J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bellg
authors.forename: Belinda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Borrelli
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Resnick
authors.forename: Jacki
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hecht
authors.forename: Daryl Sharp
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Minicucci
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ory
authors.forename: Gbenga
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ogedegbe
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Orwig
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ernst
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Czajkowski
mesh_terms: D019985:Benchmarking; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000592:standards*; D018849:Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000592:standards; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D010349:Patient Compliance; D010358:Patient Participation; D012015:Reference Standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design; D014481:United States