Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #108765

Denise Torres, LMSW and Bobby Watts, MPH, MS. Care for the Homeless, 12 West 21st Street, 8th Fl., New York, NY 10010-6902, 212-366-4459, dtorres@cfhnyc.org

Social workers often experience tension in identifying and applying appropriate Evidenced Based Practices (EBP) in public health settings. Ever mindful of social justice concerns, social workers question whether EBPs allow for the fullest expression of the uniqueness of each client and whether EBPs have the potential to reinforce inequities and barriers to care as the emphasis shifts to standardized practices rather than social change. The use of Evidence Based Practices is not new to Social Work, but is part of a long history of scientific inquiry and informed practice wisdom. Social workers can have a direct impact on the profession's visibility and viability by reframing existing practices and incorporating simple measures to respond to a public health environment that inextricably ties application of Evidence Based Practices to program success and funding.

This paper will discuss the lessons learned from instituting Evidence Based Practice initiatives within necessarily flexible social service programs serving homeless persons with concomitant issues of HIV/AIDS, mental illness, and/or substance use. Strategies to address value conflicts, implementation barriers, and organizational resistances will be discussed. Results on staff productivity and satisfaction will be reviewed.

Learning Objectives:

• 2. Recognize the historical use and natural fit of Evidence-Based Practices in public health social work.
  6. Identify strategies to address barriers to implementing Evidence Based Practice initiatives in social service settings and the staff anxiety associated with implementation.
  9. Identify two existing social work routines and practices where Evidence Based Practices can be applied.

Keywords: Evidence Based Practice, Professional Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.