Table 1 Administrative evidence-based practices (A-EBPs)a in local health departments
Domain | EBP | Description |
|---|---|---|
Workforce development | Training | • In-service training in quality improvement or evidence-based decision making |
• Skills-based training (e.g., organization and systems change) | ||
• Training in communicating and collaborating with employees from multiple disciplines | ||
• Training aligned with essential services and usual job responsibilities | ||
|  | Access to technical assistance | • Access and use of knowledge brokersb |
• Use of process improvement activities (e.g., accreditation, performance assessment) | ||
• Face-to-face meetings to share lessons, compare experiences, and provide updates | ||
Leadership | Skills and background of leaders | • Leadership skill development |
• Leadership experience | ||
• Quality of leadership | ||
• Leadership influence | ||
• Manager competency to manage change | ||
|  | Values and expectations of leaders | • Leadership support of quality improvement, national performance standards, evidence-based decision making, innovation, accreditation |
• Intend to hire well-educated, experienced staff including specialists (e.g., lab scientists, epidemiologists, environmental health professionals, financial systems experts) | ||
|  | Participatory decision-making | • Broad participation among the management team |
• Leaders and middle managers seek and incorporate employee input | ||
• Non-hierarchical decision-making | ||
Organizational climate & culture | Access & free flow of information | • Communication flow |
• Tailored messaging for evidence-based decision making | ||
• 360 degree employee performance reviews geared to evidence-based practices (with extensive feedback) | ||
• Ready access to high-quality information | ||
|  | Support of innovation & new methods | • Leadership/management and employee training in evidence-based decision making that includes new methods |
• Employees perceiving that management supports innovation | ||
• Conscious creation of environments conducive to innovation | ||
• Organizational capacity to be in both business-as-usual state and state of exploration/innovation | ||
|  | Learning orientation | • Shared employee perceptions that supervisors value learning and research evidence |
• Project management teams that encourage communication & collaboration | ||
• Presence of multidisciplinary, diverse management teams | ||
Relationships & partnerships | Inter-organizational relationships | • Build and/or enhance partnerships with schools, hospitals, community organizations, social services, private businesses, universities, law enforcement |
• Cooperative agreements with state and/or local health departments quality improvement | ||
|  | Vision & mission of partnerships | • Clear vision & aligned mission of partnerships |
• Capacity building over time among partners | ||
Financial practices | Allocation & expenditure of resources | • Outcomes-based contracting |
• Resources allocated for quality improvement, evidence-based decision making, innovation, information access, training and implementation | ||
• Diverse funding sources |