Invited Symposium III: Programs, Practices, and Beyond: Guiding Implementation Scientifically

Evidence-based practice requires sound guidance that can be utilized by practitioners and service systems to implement well.  Two major approaches have led in creating sound guidance:  identification of specific programs with empirical verification of benefits  (e.g. lists of programs) and systematic synthesizing across research studies to identify practices and intervention benchmarks for organizing implementation (meta-analysis to identify key features).  As the amount of scientific evidence about prevention increases, experience with each approach accumulates, and standards for evidence evolve, it is important to reconsider the potential contribution of each approach and bridging across them.  For this invited symposium, leaders in these approaches and in their application will present his/her perspective on the relative advantages and limitations of these two approaches and how they envision making optimal use of the capabilities and utility of each toward sound guidance for effective prevention.