Distilling Check-in/Check-Out into Its Core Practice Elements Through an Expert Consensus Process.

Check-in/Check-out (CICO) is a widely implemented evidence-based program for supporting students with at-risk levels of social and emotional behavior concerns. It is comprised of several core features described in the previous literature, including practice elements, which are the specific actions that are delivered directly to students, and implementation components, which are actions that support the implementation by adults. Practice elements and implementation components are both important to implementation but have been combined and conflated in descriptions of CICO implementation. Well-defined and differentiated practice elements could provide improved clarity in communicating implementation expectations to front-line implementers as well as support future research into essential active ingredients and measures of front-line intervention fidelity. The purpose of the present study was to distill, differentiate, and operationally define the student-facing practice elements of CICO. A panel of research experts and practice experts participated in a three-round modified e-Delphi process that led to the identification and operational definition of 19 discreet practice elements organized into five domains. Results are discussed in terms in implications for future development of measures of commitment and intervention fidelity, future research into active ingredients of CICO, and in terms of how well-defined practice elements can improve communication of implementation expectations for front-line implementers of CICO such as teachers. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12310-021-09495-x.

Utility and accuracy of collateral reports of smoking status among 256 abstinent alcoholic smokers treated for smoking cessation.

This study examined the utility and accuracy of collateral reports of smoking status among 256 abstinent alcoholic smokers (140 males, 116 females) treated for smoking cessation. Data were gathered prospectively from two randomized clinical trials of behavioral smoking cessation treatment conducted in San Diego, CA. The mean age of the participants was 42.0 years (S.D.= 10.0) and 93% were Caucasian. Self-reported smoking status was obtained at posttreatment (1 week after the target quit date) and at 1 year. Collateral reports obtained by telephone and expired air carbon monoxide (CO) levels of < 10 ppm were used to confirm self-reported smoking status. Collateral reports were available for 89.1% of subjects at posttreatment and 90.6% of subjects at 1 year. The smoking abstinence rates were similar when using collateral reports or CO confirmation of smoking status at both time points. Collateral reports refuted self-reported abstinence as often or more than CO levels, and showed relatively high concordance with CO levels. In conclusion, collateral reports have utility and are reasonably accurate for confirming self-reported smoking status in clinical trials of smoking cessation for abstinent alcoholic smokers.