Published benchmarking articles

Our benchmarking team published an article that provides empirical benchmarks for DBT intervention, having retrieved them from a literature review. You can download the article here.

Key Findings

• Of the initial 587 studies, 16 were used to aggregate outcomes for the BSL, DERS, and EQ - 5D, and establish benchmarks for both full, and skills only, DBT programme for adults, as well as full - programme for adolescents.
• Results from the empirical studies indicated significant improvements improvements in emotion regulation, a decrease in borderline symptoms, and increased health - related quality of life after comprehensive DBT and skills only.

Clinical Implications

• DBT practitioners in routine clinical practice and researchers can now use these benchmarks to assess their teams' performance according to their clients' outcomes, using the EQ-5D, BSL and DERS.
• Through benchmarking, teams can reflect on their efficacy, performance and whether they meet standards set by current empirical studies. Additionally, teams may consider any necessary adjustments to their DBT delivery to promote treatment outcomes

Limitations

• The studies included showed high heterogeneity and used different methodologies (e.g., intention to treat and completers)
• Data were aggregated from studies which investigated programmes of different lengths, essentially treating them as equal in terms of outcomes
• It was not possible to establish benchmarks for adolescents for the EQ-5D and DERS due to a scarcity of studies