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Promising Practices

The Promising Practices database informs professionals and community members about documented approaches to improving community health and quality of life.

The ultimate goal is to support the systematic adoption, implementation, and evaluation of successful programs, practices, and policy changes. The database provides carefully reviewed, documented, and ranked practices that range from good ideas to evidence-based practices.
Learn more about the ranking methodology.

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Providers And Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH) Program

Local

Filed under Local, Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Adolescent Health, Teens

Goal: PATCH envisions a supportive environment in which all adolescents are able to reach optimal health, safety, and economic security.

MISSION: To improve adolescent health and well being by engaging, educating, and empowering youth and adults as trusted partners in care.

Impact: Health care providers and teens who participate in the PATCH program show significant improvements in knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioral intentions to seek and provide quality sexual health care.

Community Paramedicine: Partnering to Empower Patients (Madison, WI)

Local

Filed under Local, Good Idea, Health / Health Care Access & Quality, Adults, Older Adults, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban

Goal: The goal of this project is primarily to empower patients who may be utilizing 911 or the ED for issues that can be better managed either at home or by a primary care provider by providing social support and strategies to reduce potential and/or perceived barriers to improved health.

Impact: Patients have benefited from the social aspects of the program becoming more active in the community, be it taking the bus, going for walks or visiting local food pantries along with an increase in patient compliance and self-reported increase in quality of life.

Farmworker Case Management Across Borders (Putnam County, FL)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Health Care Access & Quality, Adults, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities

Goal: The goal of the Farmwork Case Management Across Borders program is to improve migrant and seasonal farm worker health.

Healthy San Francisco (San Francisco)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Health Care Access & Quality, Urban

Goal: The goal of Healthy San Francisco is to make health care services accessible to San Francisco's uninsured population.

Neighborhood Health Clinic (Collier County, FL)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Health Care Access & Quality, Adults

Goal: The goal of the Neighborhood Health Clinic is to provide medical care to low-income, uninsured, working adults.

A Population Health Approach to Clinical Social Work with Complex Patients in Primary Care (Portland, Maine)

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Other Conditions

Goal: Patients with the highest medical and social vulnerability require a population-specific social work intervention in primary care to achieve positive medical outcomes and to decrease inefficient use of services, especially inpatient admissions and ED visits.

Impact: The study exhibits promise in decreasing inpatient visits and cost. The evidence also supports population-specific social work interventions integrated in primary care.

Baltimore Needle Exchange Program (Baltimore, MD)

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Women, Men, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban

Goal: The goal of the Baltimore Needle Exchange Program is to reduce HIV, hepatitis, and other infections by reducing the use of unclean needles and to help individuals overcome substance abuse by connecting them to harm reduction services and drug treatment programs. The experimental case manager intervention program at the Baltimore NEP looked to increase the percentage of intravenous drug users who enrolled in city sponsored substance abuse programs following referral at the Baltimore NEP sites.

Impact: The intervention program through Baltimore NEP was effective in increasing entry of intravenous drug users into drug drug treatment programs and highlights the need for more accessible treatment programs and harm-reduction services, such as mobile treatment facilities.

Cardiovascular Risk Management by Community Pharmacists (Iowa)

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Prevention & Safety, Adults, Rural

Goal: The goal of the Cardiovascular Risk Management by Community Pharmacists program is to reduce cardiovascular risk factors through pharmacist provided case management.

CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Interventions to Promote Seasonal Influenza Vaccinations among Healthcare Workers (USA)

CDC

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Adults

Impact: Studies found a median increase of 21.0 percentage points in vaccination coverage among participants.

CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Interventions to Promote Seasonal Influenza Vaccinations among Non-Healthcare Workers (USA)

CDC

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Adults

Impact: Studies found a median increase of 21.0 percentage points in vaccination coverage among participants.

An Effective Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success and/or promise in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures of improvement in outcome of interest (i.e. increase in voter registration, not just delivery of voter registration drive) and/ or the outcome measure is increased or improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant.

A Good Idea meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program funding source, program implementation steps and outcomes.
  2. The program evaluation is limited to descriptive measure(s) of success/accomplishment (i.e., program participation rates, number of services/education sessions/radio messages provided). Note: oftentimes, the program has been newly implemented and a program evaluation has not yet been conducted. Programs that have not yet been evaluated, but which show promise in improving health or quality of life, are classified as Good Ideas until an evaluation is conducted.

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.