The Alberta clinical practice guidelines program is supporting appropriate, effective and quality medical care in Alberta through promotion, development and implementation of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.

Empirical Clinical Practice

This book presents a novel approach to understanding the science and art of nursing that underpins evidence-based practice. It explores the foundational philosophical principles of nursing in an accessible manner, to enable readers to grasp the key arguments behind empirical nursing and why it is important for nurses to understand it.

Advances in medical, biomedical and health services research have reduced the level of uncertainty in clinical practice. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) complement this progress by establishing standards of care backed by strong scientific evidence. CPGs are statements that include recommendations intended to optimize patient care. These statements are informed by a systematic review of evidence and an assessment of the benefits and costs of alternative care options. Clinical Practice Guidelines We Can Trust examines the current state of clinical practice guidelines and how they can be improved to enhance healthcare quality and patient outcomes. Clinical practice guidelines now are ubiquitous in our healthcare system. The Guidelines International Network (GIN) database currently lists more than 3,700 guidelines from 39 countries. Developing guidelines presents a number of challenges including lack of transparent methodological practices, difficulty reconciling conflicting guidelines, and conflicts of interest. Clinical Practice Guidelines We Can Trust explores questions surrounding the quality of CPG development processes and the establishment of standards. It proposes eight standards for developing trustworthy clinical practice guidelines emphasizing transparency; management of conflict of interest ; systematic review-guideline development intersection; establishing evidence foundations for and rating strength of guideline recommendations; articulation of recommendations; external review; and updating. Clinical Practice Guidelines We Can Trust shows how clinical practice guidelines can enhance clinician and patient decision-making by translating complex scientific research findings into recommendations for clinical practice that are relevant to the individual patient encounter, instead of implementing a one size fits all approach to patient care. This book contains information directly related to the work of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), as well as various Congressional staff and policymakers. It is a vital resource for medical specialty societies, disease advocacy groups, health professionals, private and international organizations that develop or use clinical practice guidelines, consumers, clinicians, and payers.

This volume offers a systematic approach to school consultation that differs from those that have been published previously. The authors combine the most useful and/or empirically validated principles from mental health and behavioral consultation with practices shown to be effective in contemporary consultation research (i.e. behavior analysis, social influence, and implementation support). This second edition also includes expanded coverage on a wide range of topics.

Provides tools for a wide range of human service practitioners to help evaluate how effective their work is. Will appeal to a wide range of practitioners, whether the clients are individuals, families, corpora tions, or agencies. A practical, hands-on book that provides extensiv e examples and advice that makes sense in a real world context.

A practical guide to providing evidence-based mental health care for children and adolescents with chronic medical concerns.

Evidence based or empirically supported psychotherapies are becoming more and more important in the mental health fields as the users and financers of psychotherapies want to choose those methods whose effectiveness are empirically shown. Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies are shown to have empirical support in the treatment of a wide range of psychological/psychiatric problems. As a cognitive-behavioral mode of action, Problem Solving Therapy has been shown to be an effective psychotherapy approach in the treatment and/or rehabilitation of persons with depression, anxiety, suicide, schizophrenia, personality disorders, marital problems, cancer, diabetes-mellitus etc. Mental health problems cause personal suffering and constitue a burden to the national health systems. Scientific evidence show that effective problem solving skills are an important source of resiliency and individuals with psychological problems exhibit a deficiency in effective problem solving skills. Problem solving therapy approach to the treatment and/or rehabilitation of emotional problems assumes that teaching effective problem solving skills in a therapeutic relationship increases resiliency and alleviates psychological problems.The book, in the first chapters, gives information on problem solving and the role of problem-solving in the etiology and the treatment of different forms of mental health problems. In the later chapters, it concentrates on psychotherapy, assessment and procedures of problem solving therapy. At the end it provides a case study. - Provides a comprehensive appreciation of problem solving therapy - Contains empirical evidence and applied focus for problem solving therapy which provides a scientific base and best practices - Highlights the problem solving difficulties of persons with specific disorders

Covers clinically effective treatments for over twenty of the major mental, behavioral, and emotional diagnoses in the DSM-IV The last two decades in social work have seen tremendous strides in field research, from the development of improved research designs to more accurate methods of problem measurement and outcome analysis. Drawing upon these significant advances, the two-volume Handbook of Empirical Social Work Practice brings together empirically validated interventions for many of the psychosocial problems most frequently encountered by social workers in their daily practice. Unlike other books in the field that employ a theory-based approach to treatment, this handbook focuses on the best-supported methods of helping clients with particular problems irrespective of theoretical biases, offering clinicians a valuable compendium of practice guidelines for treatment. Edited and authored by recognized experts in the field, the Handbook of Empirical Social Work Practice is clearly written and organized for easy reference. Volume One covers clinically effective treatments for over twenty of the major mental, behavioral, and emotional diagnoses in the DSM-IV(TM), including: * Disorders typically diagnosed in infancy, childhood, or adolescence * Substance-related disorders * Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders * Mood and anxiety disorders * Sexual and eating disorders * Personality disorders With information that is at once accessible and up to date, the Handbook of Empirical Social Work Practice is a vital source of guidance for today's clinical social workers and other practicing mental health professionals, as well as students. "One of the best tools to promote the values of the [social work] profession is that of empirical social work practice. 'Telling the truth' is one of these values, and discovering the truth is something that empirical research is very good at. This book presents credible reviews of contemporary empirical literature pertaining to selected behavioral, affective, and intellectual disorders, and their psychosocial assessment and treatment. That such a book is now possible is a striking affirmation of the merits of the approach to social work called empirical clinical practice." -from the Handbook of Empirical Social Work Practice

"Nurses play a vital role in improving the safety and quality of patient car -- not only in the hospital or ambulatory treatment facility, but also of community-based care and the care performed by family members. Nurses need know what proven techniques and interventions they can use to enhance patient outcomes. To address this need, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), with additional funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has prepared this comprehensive, 1,400-page, handbook for nurses on patient safety and quality -- Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. (AHRQ Publication No. 08-0043)." - online AHRQ blurb, http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/