Evolution of a Client-Level Dataset: 20 Years of National Child Traumatic Stress Network Data Collection

For 20 years, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network's (NCTSN) data collection efforts have been a central mechanism for Clinical Quality Improvement (ClQI). The NCTSN is a federally funded initiative in the United States composed of programs dedicated to raising the standard of care and increasing access to services for children and families who have experienced traumatic events.

These efforts span three initiatives: the Core Data Set (CDS), the Clinical Improvement through Measurement Initiative (CIMI) Measurement Based Care (MBC), and CIMI Data Sharing (CIMI-DS) that collected and analyzed client-level data to improve care for children and families served at participating sites. Across the initiatives, information (e.g., behavioral assessments, trauma exposure, standardized clinical measures) was collected from nearly 26,500 participants at 91 sites.

Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), we discuss the impact of external forces such as funding, policies, and societal changes and emphasize the importance of collaboration, technology, and flexible data collection methods in advancing ClQI initiatives as well as the field of child traumatic stress across decades.

We offer lessons learned and recommendations for future work to create large, query-able datasets across a network and insights to support use in clinical practice.