Cited by 96Psychotherapy Techniques and ApplicationsDigital Mental Health InterventionsHealth Policy Implementation Science

Treatment as usual and routine care in research and clinical practice

Kazdin, Alan E.·2015·Clinical Psychology Review

Abstract

Treatment as usual (TAU) or routine care in the context of psychotherapy has been used both as a control condition in clinical trials of evidence-based psychotherapy (EBP) and as a primary therapeutic intervention. This article considers TAU from both perspectives in which it is used and evaluated. First, the strengths, limitations, and sources of ambiguity of using TAUs as control conditions are discussed. Second, the evidence in behalf of TAUs is evaluated. Reviews of the effectiveness of TAUs when contrasted with EBPs and when evaluated in clinical applications and benchmarked against EBPs from clinical trials suggest that both broad classes of treatments are effective and often equally effective. The effectiveness of TAUs and the often similar outcomes evident in comparison to EBPs raise research as well as clinical issues. The article discusses research priorities for the evaluation of TAUs and clinical practices that can improve both EBPs and TAUs in patient care.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.cpr.2015.08.006

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Authors
Kazdin, A. E.
Affiliations
Yale University (US)
Corresponding author
Kazdin, Alan E.
Venue
Clinical Psychology Review
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2015-12
Volume
42
Pages
168-178
ISSN
0272-7358 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1755748266
Cited by
96
References
101
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 1
FWCI
0.96
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Clinical Psychology Review (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Policy Implementation Science
Keywords
usual care, psychotherapy, evidence-based psychotherapy, control conditions, clinical trials, treatment effectiveness, benchmarking, research priorities, clinical practice
MeSH terms
Humans, Psychotherapy, Research Design, Evidence-Based Practice

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