Social Work practitioners and researchers are faced with increasing demands to provide evidence regarding the efficacy and appropriateness of their interventions (Humphries, 2003). These demands emanate from multiple sources and bring with them multiple, often competing, demands to demonstrate or “evidence” efficacy. Practice-based research methods offer one set of strategies for achieving this goal.

PBR encompasses multiple methods common to the research experience. While the desired or “gold standard” of research may be true experimental design, practice and ethical realities limit the opportunities for conducting such research. Others have grappled with the limits of gold standard approaches in real world, field based experiments (Humphries, 2003; Mullen, 2002; Klien & Bloom, 1995). Developing and employing research methods that assure both fidelity and utilization applicability becomes a challenge for researchers and practitioners. The added benefits of PBR can be seen in at least four key areas: (1) framing the inquiry; (2) empowerment of constituent groups; (3) adapting interventions to practice/field needs; and (4) allowing for greater sense of fidelity (ie., mapping out the context of the intervention). This presentation explores these four key areas through examination of exemplars of completed studies by faculty and students at an urban Social Work School of both prospective and retrospective studies and studies that employ primarily quantitative approaches, qualitative approaches or mixed methods. With careful attention to these areas, PBR can optimize the development of evidence based practices delivered in real world settings with varied populations

The focus of the presentation is on the application of multiple PBR methods to meet demands of both researchers and practitioners. The studies reported include:

Portal Project: a multi-method study nested in a federally funded Women, Co-Occurring Disorders and Violence Study. The studies include qualitative studies of the life experience of trauma survivors in treatment, their experience of treatment and of reentry; exploration of fidelity through data mining of records (n=292), worker-client agreement on reports of treatment services (n=283) and a variety of qualitative studies with treatment providers on their view of treatment and reentry.

Brothers y Hermanos, an epidemiological HIV study of African American men who have sex with men: In this study focus groups and in depth interviews were conducted with 180 Black men. An additional 315 men completed Brief Street Interviews. Data from both methods were used in the development of a comprehensive HIV/AIDS risk battery that emphasizes socio-cultural as well as behavioral risk factors. The study protocol also included the active involvement of community members (CCG). The CCG group provided significant input into the design and development of procedures and review of research questions. The newly developed battery is currently being used to gather data from 500 Black MSM in NYC.

These studies include a wide variety of methodological approaches used in PBR. And illuminate the synergy between PBR, knowledge development and enhancing practice.

Social Work educators need to provide students with a solid research foundation and need to prepare social work students to contribute to their own practice development through the use of research methods.