scholarly journals Innovative strategies for the implementation of best practices

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Van Dale ◽  
K Leenaars

Abstract The Netherlands’ best practice portal for health promotion interventions includes approximately 350 interventions. The aim of the portal is to support policy and practice with evidence based information. There are five different levels to indicate the strength of their evidence base. In 2014, a study on the implementation of the best practices included in the portal showed that health promotion practitioners often do not implement them. One of the arguments given to opt for other interventions than those listed in the portal was the assumption that the ‘standard interventions’ will not fit their particular local context, and that adjusting a best practice is not possible. We will present the criteria and procedure of the assessment of the quality, effectiveness and the feasibility of health promotion interventions. There after we present two strategies to increase and improve the take up of best practice implementation. The first strategy is to describe and present the core elements of the interventions. This strategy facilitates the possibility for the sound adjustments of a best practice. The second strategy is to identify the common effective elements of a group of interventions, and present that information in an accessible way to policy-makers and practitioners. Effective elements were identified through systematic reviews in combination with focus group interviews with health promotion practitioners. The result is a What works document (What works, What probably works, What doesn’t work and What’s unclear). An example of the second strategy is a synthesis of the effective elements of fall prevention interventions. These elements were translated into a practical user’s guide, and illustrated with best practice interventions from the portal. Policy-makers and health promotion practitioners appreciated the new way of presenting the best practices.

Author(s):  
Tamara Schloemer ◽  
Freia De Bock ◽  
Peter Schröder-Bäck

AbstractEvidence-based health promotion and disease prevention require incorporating evidence of the effectiveness of interventions into policy and practice. With the entry into force of the German Act to Strengthen Health Promotion and Prevention (PrävG), interventions that take place in people’s everyday living environments have gained in importance. Decision-makers need to assess whether an evidence-based intervention is transferable to their specific target context. The Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) recommends that transferability of an intervention should be clarified before any decision to implement it. Furthermore, transferability needs to be finally determined after an evaluation in the target context. In this article, we elaborate on theoretical and practical implications of the concept of transferability for health promotion and disease prevention based on the Population–Intervention–Environment–Transfer Models of Transferability (PIET-T). We discuss how decision-makers can anticipate transferability prior to the intervention transfer with the help of transferability criteria and how they can take transferability into account in the further process. This includes the steps of the analysis of a health problem and identification of effective interventions, the steps of the initial transferability assessment and identification of the need for adaptation, and the steps of the implementation and evaluation. Considering transferability is a complex task that comes with challenges. But it offers opportunities to select a suitable intervention for a target context and, in the transfer process, to understand the conditions under which the intervention works in this context. This knowledge helps to establish an evidence base, which is practically relevant.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  

Abstract Background To support policy and practice with evidence-based information, several countries have best practice portals for public health interventions. Some of the portals were started recently (France) and other portals exist already for several years now (Netherlands). All the countries face the same challenges, which relate to how to identify the relevant practices, the assessment of the practices (how to achieve an inclusive portal while maintaining high quality), and the implementation and the use of the practices by professionals and policymakers (integrity vs. adaptation of the best practices). In addition to best practice portals the organisations are also working on the development of What works approaches. Objective The organisers will share their experiences with the development and implementation of best practice portals, and discuss the successes and challenges with the workshop participants. Three countries (the Netherlands, France and Germany) will present the successes and challenges of their best practice portal, and, as an example of a joint European approach, EuroHealthNet will discuss both joint and independent approaches from a European perspective. At the end of the workshop we will discuss the challenges and invite other countries to share their experiences and successes with best practice portals and providing evidence for policy and practice. With the objective to: Present the procedure and the assessment criteria of evaluating practices for inclusion in the portalsPresent the implementation and the use of best practices as well as the acceptance of the portalsDiscuss the issues of integrity and adaptation and how to assess the core elements of effective interventionsDiscuss the development of what works approaches (description of evidence in a short and accessible way) and their added value to best practice portalsDiscuss the value added of best practice portals, including promotion of their use by professionals and policymakers Key messages This workshop will give participants insight into best practice portals developed across Europe. It will discuss how countries identify and select good practice and evidence-based preventive interventions as well as the successes and challenges of such portals.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Rossmann ◽  
F De Bock

Abstract The good practice portal of the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) consists of a nationwide collection of projects and interventions to promote the health of socially disadvantaged groups at community/setting level. An exchange platform (inforo) is also offered via the operating agency, although its use is still limited. The results of the evaluation of the platform suggest that the provision of practical projects and exchange of knowledge alone is not sufficient to support policy makers and practitioners who want to promote health in the community/setting. There is a need for advice on needs assessment, selection and appropriate implementation of health promotion measures. A comprehensive approach currently being tested in the field of activity promotion for older people is the provision of a web-based “toolbox” comprising the following tools: assessment instruments for analysing the need for health promotion measures, a user-friendly intervention/project database and broader evidence synthesis documents, as well as information on project management (organisational, legal, financial). Following the example of other best practice portals, a ranking methodology was developed to make the level of effectiveness of interventions visible and the evaluation requirements transparent. Evidence synthesis documents provide an entry point to learn more generally what works in a particular area of health promotion. In order to make the “toolbox” accessible to policy-makers and practitioners, information from previous studies was used in the development with regard to content and graphical presentation. BZgA is currently working on integrating evidence into the good practice portal. The evaluation of the toolbox in a small area of health promotion will provide initial insights into the inclusion of evidence and its added value. This presentation will conclude with a discussion of possibilities for improvement, challenges and limitations of this approach.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Cross ◽  
James Woodall ◽  
Louise Warwick-Booth

Empowerment is core to health promotion; however, there is a lack of consensus in the wider literature as to how to define it and at what level it may occur. Definitional inconsistency inevitably leads to challenges in measuring empowerment; yet if it is as important as is claimed, this must be addressed. This paper discusses the complexities of measuring empowerment and puts forward a number of recommendations for researchers and policy makers as to how this can be achieved noting some of the tensions that may arise between theoretical considerations, research and practice. We argue that empowerment is a culturally and socially defined construct and that this should be taken into account in attempts to measure it. Finally we conclude that, in order to build up the evidence base for empowerment, there is a need for research clearly defining what it is and how it is being measured.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  

Abstract Background Several countries have a health promotion and disease prevention programme register (also known as good/best practice portal), designed with the aim of supporting policy and practice with evidence-based information. While some of the programme registers have been in use for many years (USA, the Netherlands, Germany, etc.), others have been established recently (France) or are even under development (Slovenia). Though there are differences in terms of categorising good/best practice, all prevention programme registers have many things in common, for instance submission and review processes. Another similarity lies in the common challenges by all programme registers, which relate to the question: “How to improve the uptake of good/best practices?”. Finding answers to this question might contribute to one of the major Public health challenges of today: The translation of evidence into practice. Objective The organisers of the workshop will present different strategies and approaches to improve the uptake of the prevention programme registers, and discuss the successes and challenges of different strategies with workshop participants, as experience shows that more is needed than just offering the prevention programme registers. Today we know that a range of framework conditions must be in place to ensure a supportive environment for the use of the portals. This starts with needs analysis, support in the selection of the most appropriate good/best practices and their transferability and goes as far as capacity building, incentivisation and fostering feedback on adaptations. In detail, the presentations will address: How to build capacity to best use good/best practice (by Netherlands); Whether and how a more comprehensive approach offering instruments for needs assessment, general information and good/best practice in one portal might facilitate uptake (by Germany); and Dissemination strategies: experience and lessons learned (by France) and the added value of European collaboration to improve the uptake of best practices and create a “centre of excellence” for health promotion portals in Europe with the objective to: discuss which framework conditions are most relevant to improve uptake of good/best practicesdiscuss successes and challenges of different strategies. Key messages This workshop will give participants insight into most relevant approaches and infrastructures to improve uptake of good/best practices. It will discuss which different strategies followed by several countries might be successful.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251840
Author(s):  
Esther Jie Tian ◽  
Sooraj Venugopalan ◽  
Saravana Kumar ◽  
Matthew Beard

Background While the delivery of healthcare services within prison systems is underpinned by different models, access to timely and optimal healthcare is often constrained by multifaceted factors. Telehealth has been used as an alternative approach to conventional care. To date, much of the focus has been on evaluation of telehealth interventions within certain geographical contexts such as rural and remote communities. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to synthesise the evidence base to date for the impacts of, and outcomes from, telehealth delivered in prisons. Methods This systematic review was underpinned by best practice in the conduct and reporting of systematic reviews. A systematic search was conducted to reinforce the literature selection process. The modified McMaster Critical Appraisal Tool was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. A narrative synthesis of the study outcomes was undertaken. Results Twenty-nine quantitative studies were included. Telehealth interventions were greatly varied in terms of types of healthcare services, implementation process and intervention parameters. Methodological concerns such as rigour in data collection and analysis, and psychometric properties of outcome measures were commonly identified. Process-related outcomes and telehealth outcomes were the two overarching categories identified. Conclusion This systematic review provides mixed evidence on the impact of, and outcomes from, telehealth in prisons. While the evidence base does highlight some positive impacts of telehealth, which at the least, is as effective as conventional care while achieving patient satisfaction, it is also important to consider the local context and drivers that may influence what, when and how telehealth services are provided. Addressing critical factors throughout the lifecycle of telehealth is equally important for successful implementation and sustainability.


F1000Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioana Vlad ◽  
VP Paily ◽  
Rajeev Sadanandan ◽  
Françoise Cluzeau ◽  
M Beena ◽  
...  

Background: The implementation of maternal health guidelines remains unsatisfactory, even for simple, well established interventions. In settings where most births occur in health facilities, as is the case in Kerala, India, preventing maternal mortality is linked to quality of care improvements. Context: Evidence-informed quality standards (QS), including quality statements and measurable structure and process indicators, are one innovative way of tackling the guideline implementation gap. Having adopted a zero tolerance policy to maternal deaths, the Government of Kerala worked in partnership with the Kerala Federation of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (KFOG) and NICE International to select the clinical topic, develop and initiate implementation of the first clinical QS for reducing maternal mortality in the state. Description of practice: The NICE QS development framework was adapted to the Kerala context, with local ownership being a key principle. Locally generated evidence identified post-partum haemorrhage as the leading cause of maternal death, and as the key priority for the QS. A multidisciplinary group (including policy-makers, gynaecologists and obstetricians, nurses and administrators) was established. Multi-stakeholder workshops convened by the group ensured that the statements, derived from global and local guidelines, and their corresponding indicators were relevant and acceptable to clinicians and policy-makers in Kerala. Furthermore, it helped identify practical methods for implementing the standards and monitoring outcomes. Lessons learned: An independent evaluation of the project highlighted the equal importance of a strong evidence-base and an inclusive development process. There is no one-size-fits-all process for QS development; a principle-based approach might be a better guide for countries to adapt global evidence to their local context.


2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
John T. Thompson

Along with an increasing number of online courses offered via the Internet, online discussions have become a ubiquitous component in such courses. With the increased use of online discussions comes a corresponding need for the discussions to be of high quality. Online discussions need to be structured so that they are positive communication and learning environments. New online instructors often struggle knowing just what the proper “structure” really is. In order to assist instructors realize what works best in online discussions, this study sought to find best practice suggestions regarding discussions in asynchronous online courses. These best practices were culled from the literature and from the author’s personal experiences in teaching some 60 online courses.


This book provides an evidence-based review of the child health programme (CHP) in the UK, for children from pregnancy to the age of 7 years. The book takes account of different government policies and different models of delivery of the CHP in the four UK administrations. It utilizes research from all over the world, but references the evidence to UK policy and practice. The aim is to summarize evidence about ‘why’ and ‘what works’ in health promotion and health surveillance with children and families, and where possible give guidance on ‘how’ to implement and quality assure a programme—but it does not conclude on ‘who’ should provide the service. The review starts in pregnancy, and considers evidence of how environmental exposures and maternal stress during pregnancy affect the developing fetus, and summarizes evidence of effectiveness for interventions during pregnancy and the perinatal period. The growing body of evidence for effectiveness in health promotion and primary prevention is appraised, and recommendations made to support services based on the principle of proportionate universalism. Evidence supporting secondary prevention, screening, and case identification through opportunistic surveillance is reviewed, together with the arguments for delivery of enhanced support to families with extra assessed needs and targeted services for families with specific risk factors. To conclude, evidence-based recommendations are made for the organization and quality assurance of the CHP, and areas highlighted where more research evidence is needed to support practice. Learning links to online training and resources are provided for each chapter.


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. e70-e77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Bentsen ◽  
Ane H Bonde ◽  
Mikkel B Schneller ◽  
Dina Danielsen ◽  
Maria Bruselius-Jensen ◽  
...  

Summary Schools provide an important setting for health promotion and health education. In countries where health education is not a specific subject, it is typically undertaken by teachers in health-integrating subjects such as biology, home economics or physical education. More ambitious and holistic frameworks and whole school approaches such as health promoting schools have been considered best practice for the past three decades. Recently, more attention has been given to policy initiatives integrating health activities into school curriculum time. This paper discusses potentials and challenges of school-based health promotion applying an ‘add-in’ approach, that integrates health activities into teachers’ curricular obligations without taking time away from them, based on a presentation of three Danish cases. This may serve as a supplement to health promotion activities that have been initiated over and above the day-to-day teaching (add-on). We contend that an ‘add-in’ approach to school health promotion provides a potential win–win situation where both health and core education stand to gain; makes it possible to reach a wider range of schools; mobilizes additional resources for health promotion; and leads to more sustainable activities. However, potential limitations including not addressing structural aspects of health promotion and reliance on a relatively limited evidence base should also be considered.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document