What does it mean to implement an evidence based model?

There is a misconception about what implementation really means. In the minds of a model developer, implementation means "replication". To the service deliverer, implementation means "adoption". Regardless of the word utilized, the fact of the matter is that implementation must insure that the evidence based program/practice (EBP) can be not only successful, but also sustained over time.

Implementation is not an Event ....it is a Process₁, and research indicates this process to take from 3-5 years, sometimes longer.

The Family Therapy Training Institute of Miami™ works with the agencies' staff, with community partners, and with stakeholders to produce and develop a full systematic context that supports efficacy and success from referral to completion of each case. For this purpose, FTTIM consults and coaches the agencies in all matters related to the core components---drivers--- of the organizational implementation plan.

The Implementation Drivers are interactive processes that have the maximum potential for influencing staff behavior and organizational functioning. These drivers, shown below, are also compensatory in nature in that a weakness in one can be overcome by strengths in another:

[1],2 Fixsen, D. L., Naoom, S. F., Blase, K. A., Friedman, R. M. & Wallace, F. (2005). Implementation Research: A Synthesis of the Literature. Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, The National Implementation Research Network (FMHI Publication #231).