Article type
Year
Abstract
Introduction/Objective: To investigate whether a coordinated approach to implementation can secure changes in clinical behaviour.
Methods: The PACE (Promoting Action on Clinical Effectiveness) Programme consists of two main elements; sixteen local projects and a national PACE Network. The sixteen projects are based in health service organisations in England. Each local project is exploring ways of using research evidence to improve services to patients. The programme covers ten clinical areas including, congestive cardiac failure, menorrhagia, stable angina and leg ulcers. The PACE Network involves about 300 members interested in work on clinical effectiveness. Events are organised to enable Network members to meet and share their experiences. The Programme is supported by a PACE Team whose tasks include responsibility for sharing the emerging lessons from the project sites across the health service in England.
Results: The Programme was launched in 1995 and will conclude in 1998. Interim findings from the work suggest that factors for success may include creating effective partnerships between clinicians and managers, ensuring that resources are balanced across the various mechanisms for change (such as audit, education, guidelines and patient information) rather than focusing on one or two activities, identifying measures to assess the impact of implementation projects and ensuring that the work is developed as a normal way of business within organisations.
Discussion: The task of securing change in clinical services based on research evidence is a complex task. The early lessons from PACE suggest that health benefits can be secured if the task is tackled in a structured way, using appropriately the change mechanisms, which are available.
Methods: The PACE (Promoting Action on Clinical Effectiveness) Programme consists of two main elements; sixteen local projects and a national PACE Network. The sixteen projects are based in health service organisations in England. Each local project is exploring ways of using research evidence to improve services to patients. The programme covers ten clinical areas including, congestive cardiac failure, menorrhagia, stable angina and leg ulcers. The PACE Network involves about 300 members interested in work on clinical effectiveness. Events are organised to enable Network members to meet and share their experiences. The Programme is supported by a PACE Team whose tasks include responsibility for sharing the emerging lessons from the project sites across the health service in England.
Results: The Programme was launched in 1995 and will conclude in 1998. Interim findings from the work suggest that factors for success may include creating effective partnerships between clinicians and managers, ensuring that resources are balanced across the various mechanisms for change (such as audit, education, guidelines and patient information) rather than focusing on one or two activities, identifying measures to assess the impact of implementation projects and ensuring that the work is developed as a normal way of business within organisations.
Discussion: The task of securing change in clinical services based on research evidence is a complex task. The early lessons from PACE suggest that health benefits can be secured if the task is tackled in a structured way, using appropriately the change mechanisms, which are available.