H. Virginia McCoy, PhD, Stempel School of Public Health, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street (VH238), Miami, FL 33199, 305-348-2620, mccoyh@fiu.edu and Christie Vila, PhD, Comprehensive Drug Research Center, University of Miami, 1150 Ocean Lane Dr, Key Biscayne, FL 33149.

Abstract

H. Virginia McCoy, Ph.D., Christie Kibort, Ph.D.

Intervention Manuals as Shared Resources

Purpose: Intervention manuals, developed during the design of research interventions, should be made available to researchers to more quickly advance the science of intervention design. Sharing these resources would further transform research capabilities and accelerate the advancement of research discoveries. Investigators who share interests in behavioral and social science approaches to intervention research could benefit greatly and ensure that a multidisciplinary perspective would span all areas of prevention and treatment research areas.

Objectives: Major users or shared resource manuals would be individual researchers, a group of investigators within the same department, from several departments at the applicant institution, or from different institutions. A detailed plan for the day-to-day management of the manuals, as well as a plan for the long term operation and maintenance would need to be developed.

An example comes from previously funded health services research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Drug abusers have less access to primary health care than non abusers (Chitwood et al., 1999; McBride et al. 2000). Researchers sought to address this need through implementing a large system intervention addressing provider expertise, community education, and the coordination of services (referrals) for drug abusers (McCoy & Kibort 2001). Intervention training manuals were provided to both participants and trainers/facilitators for each of the three intervention modules.

Conclusion The shared resources concept is consistent with the NIH Roadmap of new pathways to discovery and have current and future funding opportunities associated with them to which investigators can apply.

Learning Objectives: