Module 1: The Importance of Evidence-Based Health Practices
Science is a method of inquiry that is based on the accumulation of evidence and the drawing of conclusions based on this evidence. When choosing what methods to use to best serve a community, organizations that use empirical data to help them make their decisions are far more effective than those that do not. In fact, organizations have an ethical responsibility to develop programs based on evidence-based public health.
“The goal is to be aware of the evidence on which one’s practice is based, the soundness of the evidence, and the strength of inference the evidence permits. The strategy employed requires a clear delineation of the relevant question(s); a thorough search of the literature relating to the questions; a critical appraisal of the evidence, and its applicability to the clinical situation; and a balanced application of the conclusions to the clinical problem”(1)
What Are Evidence-Based Health Practices?
Evidence-based public health practices are developed and implemented based on effective strategies proven by valid scientific research. Public health programs must be accountable and based on scientific evidence. Evidence-based public health is "the development, implementation, and evaluation of effective programs and policies in public health through application of principles of scientific reasoning, including systematic uses of data and information systems, and appropriate use of program planning models."(2) This is to say that an organization's choice of methods or practices should be based on published literature(3) that demonstrates sound scientific methodology and can be appropriately applied to the field in which the organization does its work. Unfortunately, this perspective on best practices has not always been dominant. In fact, it is only over the course of the last decade that the field of public health has experienced a strong pull toward evidence-based practices. Now, “public health improvement plans in states across the country cite evidence of program effectiveness as requisite for considering intervention options to meet state health goals. The demand for evidence in public health is at an all-time high.”(4)
The Importance of Evidence-Based Health Practices
- Organizations are more effective in meeting their goals if they rely on scientific evidence for the basis of their methodologies.
- Assessment of an organization’s effectiveness is much easier and can be integrated into methodology changes.
- Program effectiveness can be revisited periodically as new literature is published in the field of inquiry.(5)
- Using scientific evidence as the basis for methodology demonstrates respect for the people the organization wishes to serve.
- Combining many studies worth of evidence can help find consistencies among methods and results to produce new and better practices in the field.(6)
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Footnotes
(1) “From Evidence-based Medicine to Evidence-based Public Health” Public Health Information and Data Tutorial. Accessed on 3/24/09 <http://phpartners.org/tutorial/04-ebph/2-keyConcepts/4.2.1.html>
(2) O’Neall, M.A. and Brownson, R.C. “Teaching Evidence-Based Public Health to Public Health Practitioners” AEP Vol. 15, No. 7 (2005) page 341. Accessed on 3/24/09 <http://dccps.cancer.gov/d4d/oneall_teaching_ebph.pdf>
(3) “Is There Enough Evidence to Support an Evidence-Based Approach?” Evidence-Based Decisionmaking for Community Health Programs. Accessed on 3/24/09 <http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR933/MR-933.ch3.pdf>
(4) Anderson, L.M. et. al. “Evidence-Based Public Health Policy and Practice: Promises and Limits” American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Vol. 28, No. 5S (2005) page 1. Accessed on 3/24/09 <http://www.thecommunityguide.org/library/gen-AJPM-c-evidence-based-policy-promise&limits.pdf>
(5) Anderson, L.M. et. al. “Evidence-Based Public Health Policy and Practice: Promises and Limits” American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Vol. 28, No. 5S (2005) page 1. Accessed on 3/24/09 <http://www.thecommunityguide.org/library/gen-AJPM-c-evidence-based-policy-promise&limits.pdf>
(6) Anderson, L.M. et. al. “Evidence-Based Public Health Policy and Practice: Promises and Limits” American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Vol. 28, No. 5S (2005) page 1. Accessed on 3/24/09 <http://www.thecommunityguide.org/library/gen-AJPM-c-evidence-based-policy-promise&limits.pdf>