Evidence-Based Public Health Provided Through Local Health Departments: Importance of Academic–Practice Partnerships

Abstract

Objectives. To determine the extent to which US local health departments (LHDs) are engaged in evidence-based public health and whether this is influenced by the presence of an academic health department (AHD) partnership. Methods. We surveyed a cross-sectional stratified random sample of 579 LHDs in 2017. We ascertained the extent of support for evidence-based decision-making and the use of evidence-based interventions in several chronic disease programs and whether the LHD participated in a formal, informal, or no AHD partnership. Results. We received 376 valid responses (response rate 64.9%). There were 192 (51.6%) LHDs with a formal, 80 (21.6%) with an informal, and 99 (26.7%) with no AHD partnership. Participants with formal AHD partnerships reported higher perceived organizational supports for evidence-based decision-making and interventions compared with either informal or no AHD partnerships. The odds of providing 1 or more chronic disease evidence-based intervention were significantly higher in LHDs with formal AHD partnerships compared with LHDs with no AHD partnerships (adjusted odds ratio = 2.3; 95% confidence interval = 1.3, 4.0). Conclusions. Formal academic–practice partnerships can be important means for advancing evidence-based decision-making and for implementing evidence-based programs and policies.

Practitioner perspectives on building capacity for evidence-based public health in state health departments in the United States: a qualitative case study

“…To address this, the movement towards open access journals can facilitate the reach of peer-reviewed literature to practitioners, including open access fees that authors pay to freely distribute articles [54]. One promising strategy to increase access to evidence that is emerging in the Unites States is the academic health department (AHD) partnership, which is a formal or informal arrangement between an academic institution and a governmental public health agency providing mutual benefits in teaching, research, and practice [55][56][57]. Practitioners within AHD partnerships often have appointments within the academic setting and can therefore enhance their access to resources such as peer-reviewed articles using university credentials.…”

Leveraging an Academic-Practice Partnership to Improve Maternal and Child Health Outcomes in North Carolina

“…Academic-practice partnerships facilitate timely diffusion of innovative and evidence-based maternal and child health strategies. LHDs that engage in partnerships with academic institutions or faculty researchers are more likely to implement evidence-based interventions than LHDs without these partnerships [1]. While academic-practice partnerships are described in the context of nursing in many publications emphasizing the benefits for improving the public health workforce (ie, demonstrate how LHDs serve as suitable practicum placement sites for students affiliated with academic institutions), this paper described how collective impact was operationalized in a state-funded maternal and child health program through an academic-practice partnership.…”

Environmental Health Practice Challenges and Research Needs for U.S. Health Departments

“…Effective delivery of the essential services inherently requires partnerships within local communities, among sectors, and across professions. For example, strategic partnerships between institutions of higher learning and health departments can support evidence-based decision-making in local health departments (Erwin et al 2019). To address local health challenges and enhance resiliency when emerging threats present and disasters occur, we recommend that EH professionals should pursue nontraditional partnerships and strengthen existing partnerships, particularly by working more closely with other public health disciplines (e.g., laboratorians, epidemiologists, and community health educators) within and among health departments and other government agencies, and with nonprofits and universities.…”