EBP Core Elements

When you replicate an EBP, remember that there is no guarantee of effectiveness unless the program retains the core elements of the original intervention. You cannot just pick and choose parts of an EBP and expect to get the same outcomes. The developer will help you to identify the core elements of your EBP.

The National Institute of Drug Abuse defines core elements as the program’s basic structure, content, and delivery:

• Structure: How the program is organized and constructed—e.g., the necessary number, length, frequency, and sequence of sessions and boosters; the critical age or description of the target audience (elementary or middle school students, parents); and the setting in which the program is offered (e.g., in class, after school, at home, in a community center).
• Content: The most important information, skills, and strategies of the program—e.g., inclusion of social problem-solving skills in curricula, inclusion of family communications training in family programs.
• Delivery: How the program is adapted, implemented, and evaluated—e.g., if implementing the EBI requires training, will your teachers be able to receive this training, be monitored, and be provided with assistance as needed to maintain fidelity to the program’s core elements?