Provider self-efficacy in delivering evidence-based psychosocial interventions: A scoping review

Among the many variables that affect implementation of evidence-based interventions in real-world settings, self-efficacy is one of the most important factors at the provider level of the social ecology. Yet, research on the construct of provider self-efficacy remains limited.

This scoping review was conducted to enhance understanding of the construct of provider self-efficacy and to examine how the construct is defined and measured in the context of implementation of evidence-based mental health interventions.

Online databases were used to identify 190 papers published from 1999 to June of 2018 that included search terms for providers, evidence-based, and self-efficacy. To be eligible for the scoping review, papers needed to focus on the self-efficacy of mental health providers to deliver evidence-based psychosocial interventions. A total of 15 publications were included in the review.

The construct of provider self-efficacy is not clearly defined but is typically described as confidence to deliver a specific intervention or practice. A range of measures are used to assess provider self-efficacy across both provider and intervention types.

Standardized definition and measurement of provider self-efficacy is needed to advance practice and implementation research.

Provider self-efficacy is known to influence implementation of evidence-based mental health interventions. However, the ways in which provider self-efficacy is defined and measured in implementation research literature is not well understood; furthermore, it is not clear what types of providers and interventions are represented in this literature. This scoping review adds to current research by revealing that there is no agreed upon definition or measure of provider self-efficacy in the context of implementation of evidence-based interventions, and that the research includes multiple types of providers (e.g., social workers, counselors, psychologists) and interventions. Self-efficacy appears to change as a function of training and support. To further research in this area, a common definition and agreed upon measures of this construct are needed.