Help Wanted: Building a better EBP implementation tool


August 28, 2013

You’ve been hearing about evidence-based practices (EBPs) for quite some time. SAMHSA now offers more than 300 intervention summaries in the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices.  The ATTC Network’s mission is to promote implementation of evidence-based practices. NIATx initiatives like the Ohio Buprenorphine Study focus on removing barriers to the implementation of EBPs.

You’ve probably learned about EBPs at conferences and attended trainings. Maybe you’ve even tried out a new EPB in your workplace.  But chances are EBPs are not fully integrated into services at your agency. We know that “one and done” trainings aren’t enough to change paradigms and old habits.

So what does it take to fully implement an EBP?  As The Institute of Medicine report “Crossing the Quality Chasm” states, “It now takes an average of 17 years for new knowledge generated by randomized controlled trials to be incorporated into practice, and even then application is highly uneven.” In one study people with substance use disorders were the least likely to receive evidenced-based care compared to a list of other diseases.  
We have to do better.
NIATx and the ATTC Network Coordinating Office have teamed up to develop a new website, TheNetwork of Practice, with three goals:
  1. Link substance abuse treatment providers to researchers so they can learn from each other, and through this interaction find ways to collaborate on practical research.
  2. Promote the adoption of EBPS.
  3. Create an online learning community.
To meet these goals, the Network of Practice website includes two main components: an implementation checklist and a discussion forum.
We need your help! networkofpractice.org is currently in “draft” mode and has only been pilot-tested with a small audience. We’re inviting you to test the site and give us some feedback. As you try it out, consider the following questions:
  • Is the site easy to use? What could we do to improve it?
  • In what ways would you like to connect with your peers about implementing EBPs?
  • How can we best connect you to the researchers behind EBPs?
Please send your comments to Stephanie Richards Stephanie.richards@chess.wisc.edu by September 30. Your ideas and suggestions will help us design the best possible interactive tool to connect you to researchers and peers and support your efforts to implement EBPs.

Stephanie Richards, MPH
Outreach Specialist
NIATx/Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies (CHESS)
University of Wisconsin-Madison


*The Network of Practice website was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

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