Identifying staff advocates of behavioral treatment innovations in state psychiatric hospitals

Abstract

Identification of advocates of behavioral innovation from the ranks of line-level clinical staff has been suggested as a means to implement these innovations in real-world settings. Peer nomination strategies that have been used in management research were adopted for this study so that nursing, professional, and administrative staff at a state hospital could nominate behavioral program advocates from their ranks. Subjects also completed measures that assessed knowledge of behavior therapy and perceptions of barriers to implementing interventions. Results showed that more than 90% of the sample nominated advocates. Tests that sought differences between advocates and nonadvocates showed the two groups to be similar demographically, but the former group was more likely to come from the ranks of professionals and administrators, was significantly more knowledgeable about behavior therapy, and perceived significantly fewer barriers to implementation. These results may help program administrators identify staff members who will.