Rethinking evidence-based practice for children's mental health

摘要

Typically, evidence-based practice (EBP) refers to health practitioners applying the best currently available research evidence in the provision of health services. In other words, EBP challenges practitioners to "do things right" and to "do the right things" EBP originated in medicine, where an estimated 10 000 new randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are published every year but where an estimated 20%-40% of services still do not reflect the best research evidence. Related disciplines such as psychology have also embraced the EBP movement to bridge research and practice in order to improve outcomes for people with mental disorders. In children's mental health, high levels of unmet service need suggest a strong role for EBP. At any given time 14% of children experience mental disorders that cause significant distress and impair their functioning, yet only 25% of these children receive specialised mental health treatment services. It is also clear that children's mental health services often fail to reflect the best available research evidence, leading researchers to argue that EBP is an ethical imperative if we are to improve children's mental health.