Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #109998

Leslie McIntosh and Ross C. Brownson, PhD. School of Public Health, Saint Louis University, Salus Center, Ste. 300, 3545 Lafayette Ave., St. Louis, MO 63104, 3149778140, mcintold@slu.edu

Public health has contributed to many positive outcomes over the past 150 years. Despite this progress, public health programs and policies often develop around immediate demands instead of longer-range, evidence-based approaches. Responding to the need to increase the reach of evidence-based public health (EBPH), Saint Louis University and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services created a practitioner-centered course. Since its inception in 1997, the course has emphasized use of time efficient tools and six specific skills to improve public health practice: 1) developing concise problem statements; 2) describing issues quantitatively; 3) determining what is known through scientific literature; 4) developing program or policy options; 5) developing a program or policy plan; and, 6) evaluating the program or policy. Attendance in the courses has steadily increased. Evaluations following the course have been positive and show the intent to use the material. Currently, a follow-up survey measuring the impact of the course is being conducted among EBPH course attendees. Initial email contact is followed by a web-based survey. We will then interview responders to more thoroughly understand the impact of the course and to obtain specific applications of course materials for case studies.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand methods for assessing the impact of practitioner training programs.
• Explore the impact of a national training program focusing on EBPH.

Keywords: Evidence Based Practice, Evaluation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation