From clinical guidelines to clinical care – Employee involvement makes a positive difference to implementation

Objectives: The aim was to describe the initial phase of the implementation process in changing to evidence-based practices within a child and adolescent mental health service. Method:Prior to the five-year project, an external service evaluation was carried out.The employees expressed a need for a clear direction from management to guide their clinical practice.Employees participated in the process of developing clinical standards during the first phase of implementation.Results: Fixsen's four stage model and the PSDA circle were used to guide the implementation process.The employees developed a template for a clinical standard based on national and international clinical guidelines.During the period, 17 clinical standards were established and 10 new evidence-based methods were implemented.All service leads and a group of senior clinicians were invited to participate in an evaluation five years after the initial service evaluation.There was overall agreement that the mental health service was developing positively providing high quality services for children and adolescents.Conclusion: Involving employees in the implementation process seemed to be an important factor in changing a mental health service.