4013.2-25: Use of a Measurement-Based Care Protocol in Adolescent Mental Health Therapy: A Quality Improvement Project to Improve Outcomes 

This presentation describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a measurement-based care (MBC) protocol at an outpatient counseling center to improve treatment engagement and mental health outcomes for adolescents. The benefits of using MBC to monitor and guide psychiatric treatment, and strategies to sustain the process, will be provided.

Presenter:  Dana M. Anderson, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC

Disclosures:  The APNA planners and faculty have no relevant financial relationships to disclose. Off-label uses will not be discussed during this presentation.

Session Length:  15 minutes

Target Audience:  RN, APRN

Learning Outcome:
Upon completion of this presentation, the participant will be able to:

• Identify three strategies to improve measurement-based care engagement rates.

Key Takeaway(s): 

• Measurement-based care is an evidence-based practice shown to improve mental health treatment outcomes.
• Psychiatric nurse providers should consider using measurement-based care with youth experiencing mental health distress.
• Knowledge reinforcement, reminders, increased frequency of use, and leadership support may help sustain measurement-based care use.

Keywords:  Adolescents, Measurement-based Care, Youth, Mental Health 

Nursing Continuing Professional Development:
0.25 contact hours.  * In order to receive contact hours, you must: Listen to the entire presentation, complete the reflection activity, evaluation, and honor statement before the expiration date. Once all steps are successfully completed, a certificate will be generated online and available for you to print immediately. Contact hours cannot be awarded unless all required components are completed. 

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Release Date:  December 3, 2025
Access to this course will end:  December 1, 2028

*For an uninterrupted learning experience, please download and use Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, etc. If you continue to experience issues, you may need to update your browser.