Using Best Practices Criteria to Enhance CommunityBased Programs

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Using Best Practices Criteria to Enhance
Community-Based Programs
Rebecca Fortin Dissemination Coordinator Towards
Evidence-Informed Practice
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Presentation Overview

• What are Best Practices in Health Promotion?
• How are Best Practices Identified?
• How can WE use Best Practices Criteria?
• Why use Best Practices Criteria?

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Presentation Overview

• What are Best Practices in Health Promotion?
• How are Best Practices Identified?
• How can WE use Best Practices Criteria?
• Why use Best Practices Criteria?

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Best Practices in Health Promotion

• Best Practices
• Best available practice or policy based on
  available evidence for a specific group under
  specified circumstances to achieve an identified
  aim
• (McDonald, 2005)

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Best Practices in Health Promotion

• Provides a model for health practitioners
• Decreases duplication of effort
• Identifies the content and processes of effective
  programs
• Increases effectiveness of programs when
  incorporated into local programs

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Presentation Overview

• What are Best Practices in Health Promotion?
• How are Best Practices Identified?
• How can WE use Best Practices Criteria?
• Why use Best Practices Criteria?

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Identifying Best Practices

• Review existing practices against a set criteria
• Cameron et al., 2001 Scan of International Best
  Practices in Heart Health Promotion
• Hanning and Manske, 2004 Scan of International
  Best Practices in Stroke Prevention Diabetes
  Prevention

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Identifying Best Practices

• Strength of Evidence Criteria
• The program was shown to be effective through a
  strong scientific design and vigorous evaluation
• Plausibility Criteria
• The extent to which a program is likely to be
  effective based on its characteristics or
  attributes

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Identifying Best Practices

• Reviewed programs are rated by researchers and
  achieve a level
• Best
• Promising
• Weak
• To Be Tracked

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Identifying Best Practices

• The Challenge
• Many programs identified as Best or Promising
  are large, multi-site, well-funded research
  studies
• Many local community programs do not have the
  human resources or the funding to conduct strong
  research studies

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Presentation Overview

• What are Best Practices in Health Promotion?
• How are Best Practices Identified?
• How can WE use Best Practices Criteria?
• Why use Best Practices Criteria?

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Using Best Practices Criteria

• Identifying Areas for Enhancement in Community
  Health Promotion Programs

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Using Best Practices Criteria

• Four areas of criteria
• Program Need
• Program Content
• Program Process
• Program Evaluation

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Using Best Practices Criteria

• Assessment of each criterion
• Level 0 - Criterion has not been addressed
• Level 1 - Extensive capacity for enhancement
• Level 2 - Considerable capacity for enhancement
• Level 3 - Some capacity for enhancement
• Level 4 - Very limited potential for enhancement

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Using Best Practices Criteria

• Program Assessment Tools
• Program Assessment Survey
• Program Assessment Worksheet
• Program Consensus Worksheet
• ltwww.hhrc.net/resources.htmgt

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Presentation Overview

• What are Best Practices in Health Promotion?
• How are Best Practices Identified?
• How can WE use Best Practices Criteria?
• Why use Best Practices Criteria?

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The Benefits

• Valuable Reflection Process
• Evidence-based criteria
• Derived from Best Practices Research
• Identify program strengths, gaps and future
  direction
• Useful for Program Planning
• Incorporate key criteria

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The Benefits

• Increases Documentation
• Strengthens Interest/Use of Program Evaluation
• Needs assessment, formative, process and
• outcome evaluation
• Strengthens Partnerships
• Terminology, programs
• Opportunities for integrated programming

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Rebecca Fortin Dissemination Coordinator Towards
Evidence-Informed Practice RFORTIN_at_opha.on.ca