Prevention Works!

Putting Prevention Science Into Practice

Increasing communication and collaboration between researchers and practitioners is necessary for the advancement of the field of prevention. "Bridging the Gap," the current phrase used in the field, refers to increasing the flow of information between the science and practice sides of prevention. The practice of prevention--the programs that reach millions of people a day in our schools, organizations, and communities--is the key to improving public health as indicated by levels of substance abuse, adolescent pregnancy, youth violence, AIDS, and mental illness. Prevention science--clarifying what works for what types of people and for which types of problems--provides the tools needed to build a strong practice of prevention.

Whether on the science side (researchers and evaluators) or on the practice side (practitioners), there are ways all stakeholders in a program can work together to put science into practice. Recommendations include:

• Improve practitioners’ access to and comprehension of scientific research, especially regarding successful programs.
• Systematically study the context of community-driven programs.
• Review practice-oriented journals to keep abreast of prevention science programs that have been successfully translated into community programs.

• Share information from prevention research scientists with prevention practitioners.
• Train practitioners to access prevention science literature.
• Conduct needs assessments of clients regarding community risk and protection factors.
• Work with practitioners to select appropriate prevention programs based on the scientific literature and the needs of the client or community.
• Engage practitioners, clients, and researchers in the selection of outcome process measures, data collection strategies, and interpretation of results.
• Evaluate the outcomes and "lessons learned" of selected prevention programs.
• Collaborate with prevention practitioners and encourage publication of program results.

• Increase publication of successes and failures through practice-oriented journals.
• Become involved as an active participant in research affecting your program; help make it an informed study.
• Actively inform the research side about what is and is not working at the community level.
• Use resources provided by researchers at conferences, in journals, etc.; develop skills to access the wealth of knowledge currently available online.
• Implement the characteristics of effective programs as recommended by the research side.
• Share expertise regarding service delivery in a community context.

Researchers, practitioners, and evaluators all need to work together to reach the greatest number of people using the most effective programs. Implementing these recommendations, and others as they are developed, will create more successful and effective programs for all our communities.

This is the first in a series of prevention alerts on connecting prevention science and prevention practice.

Source: Toward a Framework for Bridging the Gap Between Science and Practice in Prevention: A Focus on Evaluator and Practitioner Perspectives. Written by Morrisey, Wandersman, Seybolt, Nation, Crusto and Davino. To obtain a copy of the article in its entirety, contact Erin Morrisey or Abraham Wandersman, University of South Carolina, Department of Psychology, Barnwell College, Columbia, SC 29208.

To receive a complimentary copy of this PreventionAlert, call SAMSHA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) @ 1-800-729-6686, TDD 1-800-487-4889 (for the hearing impaired.) PREVENTIONAlert is supported by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and may be copied without permission with appropriate citation. For information about PREVENTIONAlert, please contact CSAP by phone (301) 443-0581 or e-mail gensley@samhsa.gov