A second purpose of the study was to determine if best practice standards were being met for children's mental health services. An extensive literature review showed that there is much that is still unknown about the treatment of children and adolescents and various types of outpatient therapy that combine medication with psychotherapy are more effective than just medication alone. Some clinicians are affected by these protocols than others. Administrators of MCOs and CMHCs view protocols as a way to standardise practice, to provide quality care, and to raise awareness about professional accountability. Findings from the study indicated that clinical protocols vary tremendously in breadth, depth, quality, and intended use.
Consequently protocols vary in clinical utility.
There were also barriers to the use of clinical guidelines on the practice level. Barriers included clinician lack of exposure to protocols, clinician resentment that the protocols are better to use in treatment than theuir own experience, concern that the comprehensiveness of the protocols will actually negate clinician compliance, and that the protocols do no reflect current research. This report is 38 pp in length, with charts and references. Download the report. Viewing this file online About browsers and Adobe Acrobat.