Industry Fidelity Data as an Indicator of Quality Service Delivery

Original Air Date: October 25, 2024

Short Title:  Fidelity Data as an Indicator of Quality Service Delivery

CEU offered: 1.0 BACB Learning CEU

Webinar Duration: 60 minutes

CE Instructors:

  • Abigail Blackman, PhD, BCBA-D
  • Tricia Glick, BCBA


Abstract:

Research shows that treatment fidelity - the extent to which an intervention is implemented as designed - is an indicator of quality service delivery (e.g., Buffington Townsend et al., 2023). However, recent survey research suggests that the collection, tracking, and analysis of fidelity data is not often done in practice (Colon et al., in preparation). There are industry data available for analysis, though, to determine the quality of service provided, as some organizations do regularly collect these data.

With the permission of our customers, de-identified fidelity data were aggregated and analyzed across 29 organizations, 315 clinical supervisors, 1,422 service providers, and 739 clients. Industry data reveal significant gaps in protocol adherence, impacting the quality of services provided to clients of service. Specifically, 20% of clients’ skill acquisition program implementation and 40% of clients’ behavior reduction program implementation deviated from quality standards. Service provider fidelity is lower than expected for 25% and 33% of providers evaluated implementing skill acquisition and behavior reduction protocols, respectively. Data for clinical supervisors reveal that two-thirds were ineffective in writing skill acquisition and behavior reduction programs.

The presenters will discuss these industry data in detail and provide suggestions for organizations to access this information to ensure quality services are delivered to their service recipients.

Note: Both speakers are affiliated with CentralReach, which now owns BSTperform

Learning Objectives

  1. State the importance of treatment fidelity data for quality service delivery.
  2. Explain industry fidelity data from their impact on clients and how well clinical supervisors and service providers are implementing services.
  3. Develop a plan of action to improve, measure, and monitor the quality of service at the attendee's organization.


Instructor(s)

Abigail Blackman, PhD, BCBA-D

Abigail, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, was the Director of Customer Success at Behavior Science Technology and now serves as the Sr. Manager of Product and Customer Success for BSTperform at CentralReach. She earned her Ph.D. in Behavioral Psychology at the University of Kansas, under the supervision of Dr. Florence DiGennaro Reed, PhD, BCBA-D. Her training is in Applied Behavior Analysis and Organizational Behavior Management. Her passion lies in improving clients' lives by equipping staff and supervisors with the tools to carry out their job responsibilities successfully. She has over ten years of experience consulting with human-service organizations to assist with their training and systems-level initiatives, as well as working directly with consumers of service and their families. Abigail enjoys conducting research to evaluate effective procedures to improve the repertoires of staff and supervisors and the influence of staff integrity on consumer outcomes.

Tricia Glick, BCBA

Tricia Glick brings over 20 years of expertise in behavioral health, education, and organizational management. As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and former owner of an ABA service organization, Tricia has not only a proven track record but a strong commitment to advancing high-quality ABA services. As the founder of Behavior Science Technology (BST), she led the development of innovative solutions like BSTperform, a cutting-edge platform designed to enhance treatment fidelity, streamline clinical operations, and drive exceptional outcomes for ABA providers. Following the acquisition of BST, Tricia is currently a strategic advisor for CentralReach, providing guidance on treatment fidelity, platform transitions, and strategic growth. Her leadership continues to push the boundaries of excellence and efficiency in the field, making a lasting impact on the future of ABA therapy.