At the clinical, management, and policy levels, the use of knowledge and evidence in health care has become a worldwide priority. The contributors to Using Knowledge and Evidence in Health Care seek to broaden our understanding of the complexity involved in health care decision-making by integrating social science knowledge and exploring some of the challenges and limits of evidence in different health care contexts. Louise Lemieux-Charles and François Champagne have brought together an esteemed group of scholars to provide a conceptual framework that illustrates the factors critical to analysing and optimizing the use of knowledge and evidence. Previous studies have focused primarily on the medical literature without acknowledging the social sciences tradition. With its integration of works from political science, public policy, informatics, and other disciplines, Using Knowledge and Evidence in Health Care provides a bridge between both worlds. By bringing together different views on the topic, the volume goes beyond strict disciplinary boundaries to provide the fullest exploration of knowledge and evidence in health care.

Health care systems worldwide are faced with the challenge of improving the quality of care. Providing evidence from health research is necessary but not sufficient for the provision of optimal care and so knowledge translation (KT), the scientific study of methods for closing the knowledge-to-action gap and of the barriers and facilitators inherent in the process, is gaining significance. Knowledge Translation in Health Care explains how to use research findings to improve health care in real life, everyday situations. The authors define and describe knowledge translation, and outline strategies for successful knowledge translation in practice and policy making. The book is full of examples of how knowledge translation models work in closing the gap between evidence and action. Written by a team of authors closely involved in the development of knowledge translation this unique book aims to extend understanding and implementation worldwide. It is an introductory guide to an emerging hot topic in evidence-based care and essential for health policy makers, researchers, managers, clinicians and trainees.

Health services can and should be improved by applying research findings about best practice. Yet, in Knolwedge to Action?, the authors explore why it nevertheless proves notoriously difficult to implement change based on research evidence in the face of strong professional views and complex organizational structures.The book draws on a large body of evidence acquired in the course of nearly fifty in-depth case studies, following attempts to introduce evidence-based practice in the UK NHS over more than a decade. Using qualitative methods to study hospital and primary care settings, they are able to shed light on why some of these attempts succeeded where others faltered. By opening up the intricacies and complexities of change in the NHS, they reveal the limitations of the simplistic approaches toimplementing research or introducing evidence-based health care.A unique synthesis of evidence, the book brings together data from 1,400 interviews with doctors, nurses, and managers, as well as detailed observations and documentary analysis. The authors provide an analysis, rooted in a range of theoretical perspectives, that underlines the intimate links between organizational structures and cultures and the utilization of knowledge, and draws conclusions which will be of significance for other areas of public management. Their findings have implicationsfor the utlization of knowledge in situations where there is a professional tradition working within a politically sensitive blend of public service, managerial accountability, and technical expertise.Knowledge to Action? will be of interest to Academics, Researchers, and Advanced Students of Organizational Behaviour, Public and Health Management, and Evidence-Based Medicine; and also of particular interest to Practitioners, Clinicians, and Public Health Managers concerned with implementing change to clinical practice.

In the realm of health care, privacy protections are needed to preserve patients' dignity and prevent possible harms. Ten years ago, to address these concerns as well as set guidelines for ethical health research, Congress called for a set of federal standards now known as the HIPAA Privacy Rule. In its 2009 report, Beyond the HIPAA Privacy Rule: Enhancing Privacy, Improving Health Through Research, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Health Research and the Privacy of Health Information concludes that the HIPAA Privacy Rule does not protect privacy as well as it should, and that it impedes important health research.

Drawing on the work of the Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine, the 2007 IOM Annual Meeting assessed some of the rapidly occurring changes in health care related to new diagnostic and treatment tools, emerging genetic insights, the developments in information technology, and healthcare costs, and discussed the need for a stronger focus on evidence to ensure that the promise of scientific discovery and technological innovation is efficiently captured to provide the right care for the right patient at the right time. As new discoveries continue to expand the universe of medical interventions, treatments, and methods of care, the need for a more systematic approach to evidence development and application becomes increasingly critical. Without better information about the effectiveness of different treatment options, the resulting uncertainty can lead to the delivery of services that may be unnecessary, unproven, or even harmful. Improving the evidence-base for medicine holds great potential to increase the quality and efficiency of medical care. The Annual Meeting, held on October 8, 2007, brought together many of the nation's leading authorities on various aspects of the issues - both challenges and opportunities - to present their perspectives and engage in discussion with the IOM membership.

Knowledge Translation in Nursing and Healthcare provides authoritative guidance on the implementation of evidence-informed practice, covering issue identification and clarification, solution building and implementation, evaluation, and sustainment. Integrating theory, empirical research, and experiential knowledge, this hands-on resource assists nurses and healthcare practitioners in collecting quality evidence, transforming it into a useable, customized recommendation, and then applying best practice in various point-of-care settings. Written by highly experienced implementation researchers working with practitioners, the book demonstrates how the synthesis and translation of evidence supports improvement of existing care and service delivery models, and produces increased benefit for both patients and health services. Examples drawn from the authors' first-hand experience—such as pressure injury prevention in acute care, transition of care for people with heart failure, and community leg ulcer care—illustrate the use of best practice in addressing care and quality issues. This important reference and guide: Outlines a planning framework that activates research and evidence in practice settings, moving knowledge into action and sustaining the use of best practice Introduces the framework that enables effective evidence-informed methodology and decision-making Features numerous illustrative field examples of both successful and unsuccessful implementations in a variety of practical situations Offers perspectives on best practice implementation from experienced practitioners and researchers Knowledge Translation in Nursing and Healthcareis a must-have for those wanting to implement, evaluate, and sustain best practice in the delivery of evidence-informed healthcare to patients, families, and communities.

Despite its ‘gold-standard’ status, the EBP movement is faltering because, while much effort has gone into developing an idealised model of the way clinicians ought to use best evidence, there is less understanding of why they often don’t. This book examines how clinicians do actually develop and use clinical knowledge.

As our nation enters a new era of medical science that offers the real prospect of personalized health care, we will be confronted by an increasingly complex array of health care options and decisions. The Learning Healthcare System considers how health care is structured to develop and to apply evidence-from health profession training and infrastructure development to advances in research methodology, patient engagement, payment schemes, and measurement-and highlights opportunities for the creation of a sustainable learning health care system that gets the right care to people when they need it and then captures the results for improvement. This book will be of primary interest to hospital and insurance industry administrators, health care providers, those who train and educate health workers, researchers, and policymakers. The Learning Healthcare System is the first in a series that will focus on issues important to improving the development and application of evidence in health care decision making. The Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine serves as a neutral venue for cooperative work among key stakeholders on several dimensions: to help transform the availability and use of the best evidence for the collaborative health care choices of each patient and provider; to drive the process of discovery as a natural outgrowth of patient care; and, ultimately, to ensure innovation, quality, safety, and value in health care.

Health services can and should be improved by applying research findings about best practice. Yet, in Knowledge to Action?, the authors explore why it nevertheless proves notoriously difficult to implement change based on research evidence in the face of strong professional views and complex organizational structures. The book draws on a large body of evidence acquired in the course of nearly fifty in-depth case studies, following attempts to introduce evidence-based practice in the UK NHS over more than a decade. Using qualitative methods to study hospital and primary care settings, they are able to shed light on why some of these attempts succeeded where others faltered. By opening up the intricacies and complexities of change in the NHS, they reveal the limitations of the simplistic approaches to implementing research or introducing evidence-based health care. A unique synthesis of evidence, the book brings together data from 1,400 interviews with doctors, nurses, and managers, as well as detailed observations and documentary analysis. The authors provide an analysis, rooted in a range of theoretical perspectives, that underlines the intimate links between organizational structures and cultures and the utilization of knowledge, and draws conclusions which will be of significance for other areas of public management. Their findings have implications for the utilization of knowledge in situations where there is a professional tradition working within a politically sensitive blend of public service, managerial accountability, and technical expertise. Knowledge to Action? will be of interest to Academics, Researchers, and Advanced Students of Organizational Behaviour, Public and Health Management, and Evidence-Based Medicine; and also of particular interest to Practitioners, Clinicians, and Public Health Managers concerned with implementing change to clinical 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/