Encouraging Adoption of Science-Based Interventions: Organizational and Community Issues

Communities nationwide are under increasing pressure to adopt evidence-based interventions to address a range of public health problems, including intentional and unintentional injuries. This pressure is the result of a remarkable shift over the last decade in the number and stringency of requirements that practitioners are expected to meet when seeking funds for the implementation of new programs. The need for greater fiscal and programmatic accountability at federal, state, and local levels has resulted in new policies, chief among them, that local decision making and services be based on solid evidence of what works. However, local agencies and practitioners face considerable challenges when they attempt to implement evidence-based strategies and obtain the desired reductions in morbidity and mortality.