Our Process

Interventions for the Canadian Best Practices Portal undergo a rigorous assessment. The inclusion and exclusion criteria used in this process are identified below.

Process for Review:

Step 1:

  • The intervention must satisfy the five required criteria to be considered a Best Practice.

Step 2:

  • If the intervention meets all five required criteria, further assessment by PHAC will be conducted for the quality and rigor of the evaluation report.

Required/Mandatory Criteria:

Type of intervention is appropriate:

  • Focuses on a population health or community-based approach.
  • Addresses health determinants.
  • Designed for primary or secondary prevention, or reducing risk factors, or promoting protective factors.

** Clinical program/service provided for individual treatment or individual behaviour change is to be excluded **

Evaluation of intervention:

  • Described in the form of a report or peer-reviewed journal article.
  • Meets quality and rigour criteria appropriate to study design.

** Pilot studies and studies with small sample sizes are to be excluded **

Impact:

  • Evidence of effectiveness in eliciting desired changes i.e. positive effect on health related outcomes.

Replicability and Adaptability:

  • Available evidence demonstrates that the intervention is beyond the pilot stage and has been replicated at least once. Longitudinal studies are not considered as being replicated.

Source:

  • Authoritative/credible source of the intervention with contact information readily available.
  • Interventions must have been developed free of commercial interests that may compromise integrity.