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Implementing Evidence-Based Practice

• About evidence-based practice
• Finding research
• Assessing the evidence
• Implementing evidence-based practice

Evidence-based practices are most successful when implemented in a way that is as similar as possible to the original, evaluated approach.

Gather as much information as you can:

• Seek out specific descriptions of the practice, including its key components, population served, organizational context, staffing requirements, etc. Obtain written documentation (guidelines, curricula) if available.
• Talk with current or prior users to learn more about implementation.
• Consider making a site visit, if possible, to observe the practice in person and speak face-to-face with practitioners, families, and other stakeholders.

Other needs:

• Ongoing technical assistance and contact with the program developers
• Appropriate staffing, in terms of numbers and skills
• Staff buy-in and belief in the practice (This is easiest if the practice is congruent with the existing organizational culture)
• Adequate resources, including administrative support and appropriate physical facilities
• Community and family involvement, to ensure its relevance for the families who will be served

When implementing any practice, it is important to plan for ongoing evaluation of its effectiveness. This will help contribute further to the evidence base regarding this practice and for the field in general.

Can evidence-based practices be adapted?

Every community is different, and it is natural to want to modify or adapt practices to fit the unique organizational or community culture. Most discussions of this topic agree that some aspects of a practice may be modified without detriment to its outcomes.

However, it is only through repeated, evaluated replication efforts that we are able to identify which components can be modified and which are core components—those aspects of an intervention that are essential to its outcome.

If a practice has been replicated numerous times, the available research may help you identify core components. These should be changed as little as possible to support effective implementation.

If no replication research can be found, proceed with caution. Make changes only if they are unavoidable. Document any changes you make, and evaluate your results so that others may learn from your experience.

Selected Resources Implementing Evidence-Based Practice California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare Discusses common issues for agencies and communities to consider when selecting/implementing evidence-based practices. Implementation Research: A Synthesis of the Literature National Implementation Research Network (2005) Defines implementation, provides a conceptual framework, discusses core components, and provides recommendations for a wide variety of users.

Updated on November 19, 2008