The proposed Web-based Training on Core Skills for Evidence-based Prevention Practice project addresses an important but little discussed weakness in the current technology of transferring research-based findings to practice in substance abuse prevention and related fields. There is widespread consensus that it is important to realize a greater return on our prevention research investment by developing effective ways to use research findings on effective practice in actual policies, strategies and program activities. However, current reliance on model programs has been fraught with difficulty of application, and by resistance in acceptance at the practitioner level. Problems include the widespread perception of need for adaptation, and persistent issues related to implementation fidelity. The approach in this proposed project and the product being tested for feasibility will produce a tool that changes the focus of applying research to practice from the program to the individual prevention practitioner. It also changes the focus of the research to practice technology by consciously synthesizing research findings and professional material that provides detailed descriptions and guides based on successful experience. The product will provide online and CD-based training in four specific sets of activities that will help individual service deliverers effectively implement interactive / experiential service delivery, which is one of the most frequently validated contributors to affect prevention outcomes. These four components are interactive learning, reflective learning, group processing of social interaction, and effective communication with adolescents. The course will be developed for an online format that EMT is developing to meet the learning needs and resource constraints of line prevention staff. Feasibility will be tested through systematic assessment by a panel of experts, and through a small test of acceptability and knowledge gain in a sample of participants drawn from the target population. There is currently a strong policy focus on improving prevention effectiveness by providing tools that will help practitioners put scientifically generated knowledge about intervention effectiveness into practice. The current emphasis on model programs is only one approach, and is limited by problems of scale (the whole program is often not a feasible focus for many settings), implementation fidelity, and adaptation to different contexts. The proposed Web-based Training on Core Skills for Evidence-based Prevention Practice project provides an innovative approach to transferring evidence to practice by focusing on individual competencies and skills necessary to effectively implement practices found to be widely applicable through scientific studies. This approach can bring important benefits by effectively leveraging scientific knowledge into benefits for youth and society.
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