Efforts to Increase Implementation of Evidence-Based Clinical Practices to Improve Adolescent-Friendly Reproductive Health Services

Abstract

To increase adolescent's use of quality, client-centered, affordable and confidential reproductive health services, improvement in the implementation of evidence-based clinical practices is needed. Efforts to identify barriers to and facilitators for implementation of evidence-based clinical practices can inform for health centers of opportunities to build their capacity to ensure that evidence-based clinical practices are being implemented.

Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Implementation of a Multicomponent, Community-Wide Approach

“…The baseline assessments were used to identify needs and develop individualized TTA plans for each partner. Needs assessments were conducted annually to monitor progress and update TTA plans [11,31,33]. Each state- and community-based organization conducted additional assessments of their community to supplement the baseline assessments using existing data sources and collecting information from focus groups, interviews, or surveys of adults and youth in their community.…”

Barriers and Facilitators to Health Center Implementation of Evidence-Based Clinical Practices in Adolescent Reproductive Health Services

“…Nevertheless, the research makes an important contribution to our understanding of the process by which health center leadership and staff mobilize to adopt new practices in adolescent sexual and reproductive health—and the factors that can either facilitate or impede this process. Future research may examine the links between barriers and facilitators and outcomes in EBCP implementation [28]. Through identifying and understanding these factors, researchers and practitioners alike are better equipped to develop strategies to facilitate a smooth and timely translation of evidence into adolescent reproductive health care practice.…”

Integrated Community Strategies for Linking Youth to Adolescent Reproductive Health Services: A Case Study

“…APPCNC provided technical assistance to the health department as they developed the TWC. Technical assistance topics drew from the best practice recommendations for ARHS include teen-friendly environments, confidential services, time alone with the provider, and the availability of contraception at every visit [5]. Knowing that efforts to increase access to ARHS could be thwarted or enhanced by teens sharing stories about the TWC with their peers, the project focused on providing a positive TWC client experience.…”

“…Through the design of the TWC, the health department recognized an opportunity to increase their capacity to implement the best practices for adolescent reproductive health services, a need found in many publicly funded health centers. Specifically, the project was able to address two common challenges faced by publicly funded health centers–the lack of a special access point to services for adolescents and adolescents not being aware of their services [5,6]. Key benefits of designing a full-service adolescent health center included (1) the designated teen-friendly center provided a special access point and (2) adolescents seeking acute care, well checkups, or other services such as sports physicals could be provided with education and access to reproductive health care [7].…”