From research to "best practices" in other settings and populations

Objective: To review the genesis and current status of "best practices" thi nking, its application in health promotion practice, and in generalizing re search to alternate populations, places and times. Methods: A presbyopic ey e is cast over the recent evolution of the concept of "best practices" from medicine to public health. Results: Some discontinuities are found in the migration of this concept from medicine, where it applies with some consist ency to the relatively homogeneous physiology of the human species, to heal th behavior where social, cultural, economic, and other heterogeneities mak e the generalizability of any research more suspect. Conclusions: Health pr omotion and other applications of health behavioral research need to replac e "best practices" with "best processes."