Integrating information technology into the evidence-based practice of psychology

Abstract

Information technology (IT) is increasingly being used to facilitate, complement, and support the implementation of evidence-based practices (EBP) in psychology. This article reviews recent randomised trials that evaluate the integration of IT applications into the process of delivering EBP. More specifically, we review 11 studies that illustrate how IT has been successfully integrated into traditional clinician-delivered psychotherapy to promote the adoption of EBP. Advantages and disadvantages of this approach are discussed. The paper concludes with practical recommendations for clinicians who are interested in integrating IT into their practice.

Keywords:

• evidence-based practice
• information technology
• psychotherapy

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Health Services Research and Development Service of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Stanford University School of Medicine's Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Health Services Research to M. A. Cucciare, and NIDA grant 5R21DA17933-2 to K. R. Weingardt. The authors would like to thank Steven Villafranca, MA, for his valuable feedback on a previous version of this manuscript. We would also like to thank Kevin Lai, M. S. for helping us create the figure in this article.