A5-1: Making Measurement Meaningful: MBC in the CYMH Sector
This presentation will share case study learnings from a hospital-based MBC implementation and engage mental health service providers and system leaders on an approach to advance the adoption of MBC in the CYMH sector. Understanding enablers, barriers and lessons learned is key to promoting an evidence-based approach to its widespread adoption. The presentation will begin with an introduction to MBC, including the rationale and current evidence; explore patient and providers’ perspectives; and debunk common misperceptions around implementing MBC in a clinical context.
The presentation will focus on three elements:
- Rationale and Evidence: An introduction to the evidence for MBC and how it can be utilized in clinical care settings. Common misperceptions will also be addressed.
- Implementation Learnings: A case study of MBC implementation at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Department of Psychiatry and how these learnings can be applied to wider adoption in the community sector.
- Practical Implementation Plan to Accelerate Adoption: An implementation checklist that highlights multiple approaches to accelerate MBC adoption in the CYMH sector. Emphasis will be on the importance of having clear leadership support, building a digital infrastructure, empowering MBC champions, and creating engaging educational initiatives.
The session will conclude with an interactive discussion to engage the audience on their experiences and perceptions of implementing MBC, and to seek input on a proposed plan to accelerate adoption. The audience will also be engaged to better understand how Capitalize for Kids can help advance MBC adoption in the sector and what supports are required.
Presenters:
Jason Pun is the Managing Director of Impact Consulting at Capitalize for Kids (C4K). His role is to lead the internal consulting team in the execution of operational improvement projects at provider agencies across the child and youth mental health system in Canada. These projects include diagnosing areas for improvement, collaborative solution design, implementation, evaluation of the impact of these solutions. C4K also supports the design and implementation of system-level initiatives, including projects in centralized intake and service model development. Prior to joining C4K, he was a Principal Consultant at a boutique consulting firm and the co-founder and Principal of Intelligent Improvement Consultants, a consulting practice focused on the health sector and operational effectiveness. Prior to that, Jason was a Director in PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Canada’s Health Services Practice, where he led the health program evaluation portfolio and many large health care consulting projects with provincial and national scope.
Dr. Karen Wang is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Child and Youth Mental Health at the University of Toronto. She completed her medical school training at McMaster University in 2011 and graduated from the University of Toronto General Psychiatry residency program in 2017. In 2018, she completed her child psychiatry subspecialty training and has recently assumed the role of Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Subspecialty Residency program.
As an inpatient youth psychiatrist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, she works primarily with individuals who suffer from severe mood and anxiety disorders. She also co-chairs the Quality Improvement Steering Committee. In the role of Clinician-Quality Improvement, Dr. Wang focuses on the implementation of measurement-based care in real-world settings and has developed online educational modules on MBC. She enjoys working collaboratively with others to bring about systems change, utilizing QI methodologies to enhance both educational and patient outcomes.
A5-2: The Impact of Measurement-Based Care Implementation Across Diverse Service Settings
Measurement-based care (MBC) is the routine collection and use of patient-reported outcome measures to inform collaborative treatment decisions. Increasingly, MBC is perceived as a foundational component of evidence-based mental health care. Despite the evidence behind its impact, MBC has only begun gaining significant momentum in a clinical setting over the last five years, with implementation data showing a powerful impact on clinical outcomes. Strides Toronto and Youthdale Treatment Centres are two leading multi-service agencies in Ontario that are dedicated to addressing the mental health needs of children, youth and their families. Both organizations have chosen to implement MBC within their organizations to: foster an evidence-informed practice and learning culture, standardize data collection and use, engage in data-informed decision making and to complement the client goal setting and collaboration process to promote increased treatment engagement. During this session, attendees will gain a fulsome understanding of MBC, its clinical impact and strategies for implementation across unique service settings. Strides and Youthdale will share their experiences implementing MBC in different contexts including in acute care, transitional psychiatric units, live-in and day treatment, and school-based programs. Case studies and preliminary data will also be presented that describe the impact MBC implementation has had on clinical outcomes and client engagement, as well as therapeutic alliance. Through the interactive component of this presentation, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and engage in a facilitated discussion to learn skills and implementation strategies that optimize its clinical value through a personalized approach and active client-clinician collaboration.
Presenters:
As the co-founder and president of Greenspace Health, Simon Weisz is revolutionizing the mental health industry through the implementation of Measurement-Based Care (MBC). With a deep understanding of MBC’s potential to transform the quality of mental health services, Simon co-founded Greenspace to bridge the gap between research and the practical clinical implementation of MBC. Under his leadership, Greenspace has successfully supported over 400 organizations and health systems across North America in improving their mental health services through MBC.
Prior to co-founding Greenspace, Simon completed his education and began his career in business and law. Simon then helped to launch Building Up, a non-profit social enterprise that supports people living with barriers to employment. This experience led to a shift in priorities and professional interest, which includes the founding of Greenspace, acting as Board Chair for Raising the Roof and Building Up and volunteer work supporting refugee families.
Michael Shreves is the Senior Manager for Intensive Services at Strides and has spent his entire career in adolescent mental health. Over the last 16 years, Michael has worked in live-in treatment, day treatment, and school-based community counselling services as a psychotherapist, day treatment manager, and currently as a senior manager. Trained in DBT, CBT, and attachment-based therapy modalities, Michael has spent his career supporting youth in Toronto to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
Jason Langer started at Youthdale in 2004 and has worked in many programs and departments over the years including live-in treatment, day treatment, inpatient services and quality, as well as overseeing records and privacy. Jason is the Senior Director of Quality and Evaluation and supports all Youthdale services who are dedicated to providing effective treatment to clients and caregivers struggling with complex mental health needs. Jason leads many strategic initiatives and demonstrates a strong commitment to a continuous quality improvement culture at Youthdale.
