Controlling Chronic Diseases Through Evidence-Based Decision Making: A Group-Randomized Trial

Details

• Journal Article:
  Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD)
• Personal Author:
  Brownson, Ross C. ; Allen, Peg ; Jacob, Rebekah R. ; deRuyter, Anna ; Lakshman, Meenakshi ; Reis, Rodrigo S. ; Yan, Yan
• Description:
  Introduction
  
  Although practitioners in state health departments are ideally positioned to implement evidence-based interventions, few studies have examined how to build their capacity to do so. The objective of this study was to explore how to increase the use of evidence-based decision-making processes at both the individual and organization levels.
  
  Methods
  
  We conducted a 2-arm, group-randomized trial with baseline data collection and follow-up at 18 to 24 months. Twelve state health departments were paired and randomly assigned to intervention or control condition. In the 6 intervention states, a multiday training on evidence-based decision making was conducted from March 2014 through March 2015 along with a set of supplemental capacity-building activities. Individual-level outcomes were evidence-based decision making skills of public health practitioners; organization-level outcomes were access to research evidence and participatory decision making. Mixed analysis of covariance models was used to evaluate the intervention effect by accounting for the cluster randomized trial design. Analysis was performed from March through May 2017.
  
  Results
  
  Participation 18 to 24 months after initial training was 73.5%. In mixed models adjusted for participant and state characteristics, the intervention group improved significantly in the overall skill gap (P = .01) and in 6 skill areas. Among the 4 organizational variables, only access to evidence and skilled staff showed an intervention effect (P = .04).
  
  Conclusion
  
  Tailored and active strategies are needed to build capacity at the individual and organization levels for evidence-based decision making. Our study suggests several dissemination interventions for consideration by leaders seeking to improve public health practice.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Chronic Disease Decision Making Evidence-Based Practice Female Humans Male Public Health Practice
• Source:
  Prev Chronic Dis. 14.
• DOI:
  http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd14.170326
• ISSN:
  1545-1151
• Pubmed ID:
  29191262
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC5716810
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  R01 CA160327/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; R25 CA171994/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  14
• Collection(s):
  Preventing Chronic Disease
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7520120a54f4b8e17796883af490e61e2eb154e24374524658203df04d3cf44e990b538dd35b0a9c67660134afb378c009c5d2614074ccb795499cc45cbe0a1a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/51478/cdc_51478_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 441.51 KB ]