Synopses & Reviews
Ideally, public health practitioners always incorporate scientific evidence in making management decisions, developing policies, and implementing programs. In reality, however, these decisions are often based on short-term demands rather than long-term study, and policies and programs are sometimes developed from anecdotal evidence.
To enhance evidence-based practice, this book provides practical guidance on how to choose, carry out, and evaluate evidence-based programs and policies in public health settings. It deals not only with finding and using scientific evidence, but also with implementing and evaluating interventions that generate new evidence on effectiveness. Because all these topics are broad and require multi-disciplinary skills and perspectives, each chapter covers the basic issues and provides multiple examples to illustrate important concepts. The book presents a sequential framework for addressing public health issues that includes developing an initial statement of the issue, quantifying the issue, searching the scientific literature and organizing information, developing and prioritizing program options, developing an action plan and implementing interventions, and evaluating the program or policy.
Review
"I was looking for a book that was grounded in the familiar territory of evidence based medicine much documented in the pages of theBMJ in recent years. I was not disappointed. I then looked for sensible application of this territory to public health practice and for an easily understood and systematic approach to making it happen. Again, I was pleased to see precisely this emerge." -Phil Ayres, Leeds Teaching Hospitals
"...a wealth of information and know-how, backed up by good practical illustrations of real-life evidence, issues, situations and decisions."--J R Coll Physicians
Review
"I was looking for a book that was grounded in the familiar territory of evidence based medicine much documented in the pages of theBMJ in recent years. I was not disappointed. I then looked for sensible application of this territory to public health practice and for an easily understood and systematic approach to making it happen. Again, I was pleased to see precisely this emerge." -Phil Ayres, Leeds Teaching Hospitals
"...a wealth of information and know-how, backed up by good practical illustrations of real-life evidence, issues, situations and decisions."--J R Coll Physicians
Table of Contents
1. The Need for Evidence-Based Public Health
2. Assessing Scientific Evidence for Public Health Action
3. Understanding and Applying Analytic Tools
4. Developing an Initial Statement of the Issue
5. Quantifying the Issue
6. Searching the Scientific Literature and Organizing Information
7. Developing and Prioritizing Program Options
8. Developing an Action Plan and Implementing Interventions
9. Evaluating the Program or Policy
Glossary