The National Center for Children, Families and Communities at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center was established to promote nationwide replication of public health programs that are known to work. The first program being disseminated is the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program, a model that has been shown to be effective in helping expectant and new mothers improve their knowledge of child health and development, build parenting skills, and improve their personal decision-making about education, employment, substance use, and planning of future pregnancies. The clinical replication of complex, experimental interventions, like the NFP program, may encounter a myriad of problems unless the dissemination process is carefully planned and monitored. The purpose of this paper is to delineate and describe strategies for assuring the effective translation of clinical trial results into public health practice interventions. These include: 1) criteria and methods for evaluating and synthesizing evidence from clinical trials for practice, 2) site development and application processes for public health agencies to assess support for intervention implementation and evaluation, 3) design and use of practice guidelines based on trial protocols, 4) training of program staff, 5) development of a clinical information system based on the trial measures and instruments translated for public health practice, and 6) agency access to and use of evaluation data for quality improvement. Illustrative application of these strategies to the dissemination of the NFP program are presented. In addition, a financial plan for supporting large scale program replication is discussed.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to: 1. List three criteria for evaluating and synthesizing evidence from clinical trials for practice. 2. Describe strategies for ensuring the effective translation of research programs into practice. 3. Identify the goals of the Nurse Family Partnership program.
Keywords: Public Health Nursing, Evidence Based Practice
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: National Center for Children, Families and Communities, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Director, National Center for Children, Families and Communities