The Safe States Alliance and the South by Southwest Injury Prevention Network present the “Evidence Webinar Series” – a three-part series that provides practitioners with principles, case studies, and resources to help them identify, understand, and utilize the evidence necessary to implement effective injury and violence prevention programs. The three webinars in this series are described below.
PART 1: Finding the Evidence
There has been an increasing focus on implementing “evidence-based” practices and programs, which is a beneficial for the field of public health, but has become a source of concern for many injury prevention and public health practitioners. The current reality is that while resources for injury prevention have always been tight, they are getting even tighter. Consequently, without the necessary funding, it can be difficult to implement these programs with fidelity. However, given the increasing focus on accountability and the need to demonstrate measurable outcomes, implementing programs that are grounded in evidence has become more important than ever. During Part 1 of the Evidence Webinar Series, participants will learn:
* The definition “evidence-based” programs and practices
* Ways to determine whether a practice is evidence-based
* Why evidence-based practice is important for effective injury and violence prevention
* Where to find sources for evidence-based injury and violence prevention practices/programs.
PART 2: Implementing Evidence-Based Programs
Once you’ve identified an evidence-based or evidence-informed program that fits your community and has the support of key stakeholders, it’s time to turn to the next step: implementation. Implementation science is a field that looks at what goes on when research is taken into the real world. By using implementation science, both practitioners and researchers can understand what is necessary to implement programs with fidelity, which is essential for effectiveness and positive outcomes. During Part 2, participants will learn:
* The elements of fidelity that are important to successful program implementation
* How to assess whether an evidence-based program is a good fit for the capacity of your organization
* Where to find resources to better understand implementation science
PART 3: When Your Program Lacks an Evidence Base
Oftentimes a community may face an injury or violence issue for which there is not yet an evidence-based program to address it. This presentation will discuss how to go about addressing a new issues and evaluating your work. During Part 3, participants will:
* Learn about the elements of a public health approach to prevention
* Hear examples of programs that were designed by communities to address an issue where there was not yet an evidence-base
* Gain an understanding of the importance of evaluation in program design to determine if the program is achieving its goals, objectives, and outcomes.
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