4175Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, U.S.A.
Eval Rev. 2022 Aug;46(4):363-390. doi: 10.1177/0193841X221100356. Epub 2022 May 11.
U.S. state legislatures fill a vital role in supporting the use of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) through statutes and regulations (mandates).
The study determined the terms used by selected states to describe EBIs and how those terms are defined in mandates.
The mandates of eight purposely selected states were accessed and coded using the Westlaw Legal Research Database.
Considerable variation was found in the terms used by states to describe EBIs. Although "evidence-based" was the most frequently utilized term (60% of mandates), an additional 29 alternative terms appeared with varying frequencies. Most terms were simply mentioned, with no further definition or elaboration. When terms were further defined or elaborated, the majority were defined using numerous and different types of external sources or references. Three approaches were found in the mandates defining EBIs: "single definition," "hierarchies of evidence levels," and "best available evidence"; the states differed considerably in the approaches used in their mandates.
The variations in EBI-related terminology across states and within states, coupled with a lack of elaboration on the meaning of important terms and the predominant use of external rather than internal guidelines, may be a source of confusion for behavioral health provider agencies that seek direction about what constitutes an EBI. Prior studies indicate that many agencies may lack staff with the technical ability to adequately evaluate what constitutes an EBI. Thus, lack of clear guidance from official state government mandates may impede the implementation of EBIs within states.
美国州立法机构通过法规和规章（授权）在支持基于证据的干预措施（EBIs）的使用方面发挥着重要作用。
本研究旨在确定选定州用来描述 EBIs 的术语以及这些术语在授权中的定义。
访问并使用 Westlaw Legal Research Database 对八个有目的选择的州的授权进行编码。
发现各州用来描述 EBIs 的术语存在很大差异。虽然“基于证据”是使用最频繁的术语（60%的授权），但另外 29 个不同的术语也以不同的频率出现。大多数术语只是被提及，没有进一步的定义或阐述。当术语被进一步定义或阐述时，大多数术语是使用大量不同类型的外部来源或参考资料来定义的。在授权中定义 EBIs 时发现了三种方法：“单一定义”、“证据水平层次结构”和“最佳可用证据”；各州在授权中使用的方法有很大差异。
各州之间以及各州内部与 EBI 相关的术语存在差异，加上对重要术语的含义缺乏阐述以及主要使用外部而非内部指南，这可能会让寻求有关什么构成 EBI 的指导的行为健康提供者机构感到困惑。先前的研究表明，许多机构可能缺乏具有足够技术能力来充分评估什么构成 EBI 的员工。因此，缺乏来自州政府官方授权的明确指导可能会阻碍 EBIs 在各州的实施。
