Provide health care providers with patient-specific prompts or warnings, treatment guidelines, automatic medication dosing calculators, or reports of overdue tests and medications via electronic tools
What Works for Health
Policies and programs that can improve health
Computerized clinical decision support systems (CDSS)
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported
Health Factor(s):
Quality of Care
Computerized provider order entry (CPOE)
Allow health care providers to enter orders or prescriptions (e.g., imaging studies, laboratory tests, admissions, referrals, etc.) into a computer system; also called electronic prescribing
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported
Health Factor(s):
Quality of Care
Condom availability programs
Provide condoms free of charge or at a reduced cost in community and school-based settings
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported
Health Factor(s):
Sexual Activity
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
Support the federal-state partnership that pays participating land owners an annual rental rate for removing environmentally sensitive land from production and introducing conservation practices on the land
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence
Health Factor(s):
Air and Water Quality
Conservation tillage practices
Encourage methods of soil cultivation that keep at least one-third of cultivated soil covered with the previous year’s crop residue (e.g., mulch till, ridge till, strip till, or no-till)
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported
Health Factor(s):
Air and Water Quality
Consumer participation in health care governance
Involve consumers in health care governance via roles on governing boards, advisory committees, or shorter-term special projects
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion
Health Factor(s):
Quality of Care
Consumer-directed health plans
Establish high deductible health plans paired with pre-tax medical expense accounts such as Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) or Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and information tools
Evidence Rating:
Mixed Evidence
Health Factor(s):
Quality of Care
Court mandated programs for perpetrators of intimate partner violence
Expand court-referred intimate partner violence offenders’ understanding of abuse, teach alternative reactions, and work to change gender role attitudes; also called batterer intervention programs (BIPs)
Evidence Rating:
Mixed Evidence
Health Factor(s):
Community Safety
Crisis lines
Provide free and confidential counseling and service referrals via telephone-based conversation, web-based chat, or text message to individuals in crisis, particularly those with severe mental health concerns
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence
Health Factor(s):
Family and Social Support
Cultural competence training for health care professionals
Increase health care providers’ skills and knowledge to understand and respond to cultural differences, value diversity, etc. via factual information, skills training, and other efforts
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported
Health Factor(s):
Quality of Care
Culturally adapted health care
Tailor health care to patients’ norms, beliefs, and values, as well as their language and literacy skills
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported
Health Factor(s):
Quality of Care
Cure Violence Health model
Detect and intervene in potentially violent situations, educate and mobilize communities, and connect high-risk individuals to services; formerly called Chicago CeaseFire
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence
Health Factor(s):
Community Safety
DARE to be You
Provide education and training sessions with parent-child activities and family meals for youth, parents, and care providers
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion
Health Factor(s):
Education
Debt advice for tenants with unpaid rent
Offer debt advice from trained providers to tenants with unpaid, overdue rent to help repay debt and increase financial literacy
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence
Health Factor(s):
Income, Housing and Transit
Designated driver promotion programs
Encourage use of designated drivers via population-based mass media campaigns, incentive programs based in drinking establishments, and other efforts
Evidence Rating:
Insufficient Evidence
Health Factor(s):
Alcohol and Drug Use
Dram shop liability laws
Hold alcohol retailers legally responsible for injuries or damage caused by providing alcohol to intoxicated or underage customers; also called commercial host liability laws
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported
Health Factor(s):
Alcohol and Drug Use
Drink special restrictions
Limit or ban alcohol establishments from serving alcohol at a reduced price as part of promotions; also called happy hour restrictions
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence
Health Factor(s):
Alcohol and Drug Use
Dropout prevention programs
Provide supports such as mentoring, counseling, or vocational training, or undertake school environment changes to help students complete high school
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported
Health Factor(s):
Education
Dropout prevention programs for teen mothers
Provide teen mothers with services such as remedial education, vocational training, case management, health care, child care, and transportation assistance to support high school completion
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported
Health Factor(s):
Education
Drug courts
Use specialized courts to offer criminal offenders with drug dependency problems an alternative to adjudication or incarceration
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported
Health Factor(s):
Community Safety, Alcohol and Drug Use