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

Abstract #96841

Sean Denyer, MBChB MPH MFPHMI, Programme of Action for Children, Health Service Executive, Dept. of Public Health, Rockwood Parade, Sligo, Ireland, +353719174780, sean.denyer@nwhb.ie

Following a comprehensive review of the evidence in relation to child health screening and surveillance in Ireland a revised programme, ‘Best Health for Children' was developed. The recommendations of the review called for a radical change in the current way of doing things and posed considerable challenges for professionals working in the area who both recognised the need to change and were afraid of what this may mean. This presentation will concentrate on describing the change process gone through to put the revised programme into practice. It will focus on some of the key barriers that emerged in this process and outline how these were overcome. Changing practice on the basis of evidence is a complex task, which requires an active change management process. Common issues that are likely to emerge in any programme looking to develop evidence based practice will be discussed, and suggestions made for avoiding or minimising potential pitfalls.

Learning Objectives:

• To discuss the change processes required in developing evidence based practice;
• To identify issues likely to arise in implementing evidence based policy;
• To learn about ways to overcome barriers to changing practice

Keywords: Child Health, Evidence Based Practice

Related Web page: www.hebe.ie

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.