title: The Consistencies and Vagaries of the Washington State Inventory of Evidence-Based Practice: The Definition of "Evidence-Based" in a Policy Context.
abstract: As states increasingly establish the importance of evidence-based practice through policy and funding mandates, the definition of evidence-based practice can have a significant impact on investment decisions. Not meeting established criteria can mean a loss of funding for established programs and the implementation disruption of programs without a strong research base. Whether the definition of "evidence-based" is influenced by these high stakes contexts is an interesting question that can inform the larger field about the value and utility of evidence-based practice lists/inventories for disseminating knowledge. In this paper we review the development of the Washington State Inventory of Evidence-Based, Research-Based and Promising Practices as a case study for the process of defining evidence-based practice in a policy context. As part of this study we also present a comparison of other well-known evidence-based practice inventories and examine consistencies and differences in the process of identifying and developing program ratings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, 2815 Eastlake Ave E Ste 200, Seattle, WA, 98102, USA. secwalkr@uw.edu.
authors.forename: Sarah Cusworth
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, 2815 Eastlake Ave E Ste 200, Seattle, WA, 98102, USA.
authors.forename: Aaron R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Lyon
authors.affiliation: Washington State Institute for Public Policy, 110 Fifth Ave SE, Ste 214, P.O. Box 40999, Olympia, WA, 98504, USA.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aos
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, 2815 Eastlake Ave E Ste 200, Seattle, WA, 98102, USA.
authors.forename: Eric W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Trupin
mesh_terms: D054521:Cultural Competency; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D006801:Humans; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D011050:Policy Making; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods; D014861:Washington
keywords: Evidence-based practice; Inventories; Policy