Mapping the growth of the CORE system tools in psychotherapy research from 1998 to 2021: Learning from historical evidence

BACKGROUND

The Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE) system was launched in 1998 intended to support the development of practice-based evidence and to reduce the research/practice gap. Since then, CORE instruments have been widely used.

AIMS

To map the utilization of the CORE system as reflected in peer-reviewed literature.

METHODS

We followed the guidelines for conducting a scoping review.

RESULTS

We identified 721 papers from 1998 to 2021 citing the CORE system, with 636 of them referencing its use in clinical settings. There has been a marked increase in use of the system over that period. All CORE instruments were used at least once, spanning 39 countries and 24 languages. Papers had a broad spectrum of objectives and populations across diagnoses and settings, aligning with the authors' planned versatility for the CORE system.

CONCLUSIONS

In the light of the findings, we present a guide to enhance the reporting of work utilizing the CORE system. This could be applied to all practice-based evidence data collection, CORE or otherwise.