Beyond measures and monitoring: Realizing the potential of feedback-informed treatment

Abstract

More than a dozen randomized controlled trials and several meta-analyses have provided strong empirical support for routine outcome monitoring (ROM) in clinical practice. Despite current enthusiasm, advances in implementation, and the growing belief among some proponents and policymakers that ROM represents a major revolution in the practice of psychotherapy, other research has suggested that the focus on measurement and monitoring is in danger of missing the point. Any clinical tool or technology is only as good as the therapist who uses it. Failing to attend to the therapist's contribution, the long neglected variable in psychotherapy outcome, ensures that efforts to create, research, and refine new outcome measurement systems will inevitably fall short. Research from the field of expertise and expert performance provides guidance for realizing the full potential of ROM.