Promoting Evidence-Based Prevention Via Implementing European Prevention Curriculum (EUPC) in Georgia.

Abstract

The European Prevention Curriculum (EUPC) was introduced in Georgia to ensure the quality of the National Drug Prevention Strategy implementation. This paper provides a practitioner's narrative of the experiences and lessons learned during the implementation of EUPC in Georgia, as part of a Special Issue on EUPC implementation experiences. The narrative is grounded in the authors' direct involvement in the implementation of the EUPC, including the translation and cultural adaptation of the curriculum, the capacity building of national trainers, and the delivery and evaluation of EUPC training to 146 local stakeholders. Drawing on implementation experiences, training participant feedback, and implementers' observations, the account highlights key lessons learned. The translation and cultural adaptations of the EUPC manual along with the development of national training capacity laid a strong foundation for piloting the first EUPC training for decision-makers, opinion leaders and policymakers (DOPs) in Georgia. As a result of the training, participants demonstrated an increased understanding of evidence-based prevention principles. However, challenges emerged, including the culture-specific pace of content comprehension and the participants' limited prior exposure to evidence-based prevention. Key lessons include the necessity to tailor training complexity to the needs of different target groups while putting in place the mechanisms assuring fidelity, quality and the necessity of creating a sustainable infrastructure for EUPC implementation.