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When I began my career as a prevention professional at a large public university more than two decades ago, I made many of my programming choices based on an instinct that what I was implementing would reduce drug use among our students. After all, who could resist the power of a fraternity member or student-athlete who spoke about taking a friend’s life while driving under the influence? Who would not reduce their drug use immediately upon witnessing a crashed car in the middle of our residence quad, walking into a trailer containing an exhibit of the personal effects of a college student who died from a heroin overdose, or spending an hour sitting in a mock jail cell to experience what it’s like after a drug arrest?
While my instincts were well-intentioned, and initiatives such as the above do have their roles within prevention as elements of comprehensive, multi-component efforts based on a public health approach, we as preventionists have a responsibility to our campuses and communities to think strategically and critically about our choices of interventions and to integrate evidence-based or evidence-informed practices in our work. Coined in the early 1990s in medicine, “evidence-based practices” (EBPs) are defined in terms of a "three-legged stool" integrating three basic principles: 1) the best available research evidence bearing on whether and why a treatment works, 2) professional expertise (professional judgment and experience) to rapidly identify each individual’s unique health state and diagnosis, their individual risks, and benefits of potential interventions, and 3) the individual’s preferences and values.
It is important to remember that EBPs begin with good ideas that are developed using what we have learned from prevention science, delivered using clearly defined protocols, implemented with fidelity, and evaluated regarding how well they work. Here are four tips for selecting, implementing, and evaluating EBPs to meet your campus’s needs:
And finally…
Keep calm and carry on, and may the force of EBPs be with you!