Our white papers, issue briefs, and articles spotlight areas of improvement for social policies and programs, changing the way we see the world a little bit at a time.
Our white papers, issue briefs, and articles spotlight areas of improvement for social policies and programs, changing the way we see the world a little bit at a time.
In this issue brief, Lyndsay Huey and Debra Wright summarize Insight’s experience conducting the FFS CAHPS during the 2020 and 2021 COVID-19 pandemic. We describe modifications that allowed the data collection to continue, the impact of COVID-19 on survey response, and recommendations for planning to conduct large-scale federal data collections during adverse events. The authors attribute successful survey implementation to contingency planning and early strategy discussions that promote safety and balance agency priorities.
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Currently, among 173 countries, the United States is 1 of only 4 without a national policy requiring paid maternity leave. To inform military policy on service member pregnancy, breastfeeding, postpartum fitness testing, and operational deferment policies, the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (known as DACOWITS) requested this literature review on medical research and laws that support the health and welfare of pregnant and postpartum women. Authored by Insight’s military and veteran support team, this report identifies the nationwide laws that protect pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding workers, and the policies that apply to federal workers and private-sector workers. The report also explores the medical literature that underpins some of these policies and concludes with a discussion of postpartum depression as it relates to the general population and Service members.
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While evaluation evidence is the best evidence for identifying “what works,” it is still imperfect. In evidence-based policymaking, the imperfections create a significant risk we will implement programs that do not work, and we will suffocate programs that do—or at least can—work. Numerous factors, including limitations of external validity, an overreliance on p-values and hypothesis testing, underpowered research, and even our intolerance for false positives can lead to incorrect conclusions. This paper discusses various ways evidence-based decisions can still be bad decisions. The paper identifies two trends that can address these shortcomings: the use of Bayesian statistical methods and continuous quality improvement. The paper concludes with six recommendations for strengthening evidence-based policymaking.
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This brief presents findings from a study of the DBP training program grantees awarded through HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) Autism CARES Act funds. HRSA’s Autism CARES investments have one overarching goal: enable all infants, children, and adolescents who have or are at risk of developing ASD/DDs to reach their full potential by developing a system of services that includes developmental screening of children as early as possible for ASD/DDs, conducting early interdisciplinary evaluations to confirm or rule out ASD/DDs, and providing early evidence-based interventions when a diagnosis is confirmed. The study was part of a comprehensive evaluation designed to assess grantee’s effectiveness in reaching this goal by improving autism spectrum disorder service delivery nationwide. Overall, the evaluation highlighted the efforts of nearly 100 grantees who worked to conduct research, provide professional training, and improve comprehensive coordinated State systems of care for people with autism spectrum disorder.
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This brief presents findings from a study of the LEND training program grantees awarded through HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) Autism CARES Act funds. HRSA’s Autism CARES investments have one overarching goal: enable all infants, children, and adolescents who have or are at risk of developing ASD/DDs to reach their full potential by developing a system of services that includes developmental screening of children as early as possible for ASD/DDs, conducting early interdisciplinary evaluations to confirm or rule out ASD/DDs, and providing early evidence-based interventions when a diagnosis is confirmed. The study was part of a comprehensive evaluation designed to assess grantee’s effectiveness in reaching this goal by improving autism spectrum disorder service delivery nationwide. Overall, the evaluation highlighted the efforts of nearly 100 grantees who worked to conduct research, provide professional training, and improve comprehensive coordinated State systems of care for people with autism spectrum disorder.
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This brief presents findings from a study of the Autism CARES State Systems Grant Program grantees awarded through HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) Autism CARES Act funds. HRSA’s Autism CARES investments have one overarching goal: enable all infants, children, and adolescents who have or are at risk of developing ASD/DDs to reach their full potential by developing a system of services that includes developmental screening of children as early as possible for ASD/DDs, conducting early interdisciplinary evaluations to confirm or rule out ASD/DDs, and providing early evidence-based interventions when a diagnosis is confirmed. The study was part of a comprehensive evaluation designed to assess grantee’s effectiveness in reaching this goal by improving autism spectrum disorder service delivery nationwide. Overall, the evaluation highlighted the efforts of nearly 100 grantees who worked to conduct research, provide professional training, and improve comprehensive coordinated State systems of care for people with autism spectrum disorder.
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This brief presents findings from a study of the Autism CARES Research Program grantees awarded through HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) Autism CARES Act funds. HRSA’s Autism CARES investments have one overarching goal: enable all infants, children, and adolescents who have or are at risk of developing ASD/DDs to reach their full potential by developing a system of services that includes developmental screening of children as early as possible for ASD/DDs, conducting early interdisciplinary evaluations to confirm or rule out ASD/DDs, and providing early evidence-based interventions when a diagnosis is confirmed. The study was part of a comprehensive evaluation designed to assess grantee’s effectiveness in reaching this goal by improving autism spectrum disorder service delivery nationwide. Overall, the evaluation highlighted the efforts of nearly 100 grantees who worked to conduct research, provide professional training, and improve comprehensive coordinated State systems of care for people with autism spectrum disorder.
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