Bridging the science-practice gap in drug demand reduction: A European perspective

Abstract

The growing demand for accountability of interventions in public health is having an impact on the drug demand reduction field. Clear ‘evidence-based’ practices now receive greater priority when decisions are taken about the quality of services and the planning and allocation of funds. This article aims to explore the benefits and limitations of the term ‘evidence-based practices’ when applied to public health, and in particular the drug demand reduction field. Parallel to a top-down approach, where academic research recommends empirically supported interventions, a bottom-up approach, where professionals in the field generate practice-based evidence themselves, is promoted as well. Complementary to evidence-based practices, there is a need to cultivate practice-based evidence or evaluation of practices at field level, as the latter constitute an important pillar of our knowledge base of what works in the drugs field. This article presents findings based on a descriptive analysis of more than 400 evaluated drug demand reduction interventions implemented at field level, in more than 17 EU Member States, carried out by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). These findings underline the need to foster and support an analysis of ‘what works’ under real-life conditions.

Notes

Notes

[1] See the EU Strategy on Drugs (2005–2012), 1507/04, Cordrogue 77, pages 1–20. Available online at: http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/04/st15/st15074.en04.pdf and the EU Drugs Action Plan (2005–2008) at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServdo?uri=OJ:C:2005:168:0001:0018:EN:PDF

[2] http://www.aids.md/information/best-practices/what-best-practices-are/–last accessed, 4 March 2008.

[3] Entry criteria are that the project has been evaluated and shows the following: a theory base or basic assumptions clearly related to its objectives; clear evaluation indicators; a clear description of evaluation design and be at least one year old.

[4] For example, minimum requirement for review of interventions for NREPP–National Registry of Evidence-based Programmes and Practices, SAMHSA.

[5] Available at: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/themes/best-practices