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Appendix 7
EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES
An Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is defined as a prevention service (program, practice,
practice) that has been proven to positively change the problem being targeted. In general,
there needs to be evidence that the intervention has been effective at achieving outcomes
through some form of evaluation. The evaluation process monitors outcomes to determine
whether the intervention positively impacted the target problem and/or contributing condition.
The type of evidence collected will vary for different types of interventions. For example, a
program will track participants for a period of time after receiving the intervention and
compare them to a group who did not participate in the program. An effective practice will be
measured by looking at a community that has implemented the practice and the impact that
was documented when they did so. Or the impact of the removal of a practice can be studied.
Practices are effective if the desired behavior change is supported by everyone in the
community.
EBPs are typically accompanied by manuals that prescribe the content delivered to participants
for each session and the variations that may be allowed regarding program implementation.
The program must be implemented with fidelity to the prescribed delivery. If providers attempt
to adjust the program to a different audience, or use a different delivery method, the program
will no longer be considered evidence based.
The steps to identify appropriate EBPs include:
Identifying a problem and target population
Finding relevant research
Developing a logic model
Implementing a research-informed program
Evaluating the outcomes of your program
Evidence Based Programs include evaluation methods, making the evaluation process easier for
the provider. Program evaluation may not always show a positive outcome. This does not
necessarily mean the program was a failure, but that it was not effective for the problem and
target population. Less than positive evaluations provide valuable information that will steer
you towards other programs that will work for your community.
USE OF NON-EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES
While the emphasis on evidence-based practices will continue, there is a need to develop and
create new interventions and technologies and in turn, to establish the evidence. In addition to
EBP, there are also many promising practices in various stages of development. These are
services that have not been studied, but anecdotal evidence and program-specific data indicate
they are effective. As these practices continue to be evaluated, the evidence is collected to
establish their efficacy and to advance the knowledge of the field.
