Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: Recruiting people for Cochrane work is a challenge. Enthusiastic people with skills for critical appraisal do not appear by miracle. A systematic approach is needed to identify possibly interested people and gradually increase their skills. Besides Cochrane, Health Technology Assessment (HTA) units and guideline producers also seek the same experts. Sharing recruitment and training efforts may be worthwhile.
Objectives: To describe the EBHC training system in Finland, a country of 5.2 million people, and discuss its potential benefits.
Methods: Country case report. Data were collected from the yearly reports of the national Cochrane, HTA, and guidelines units in Finland in 2004-06.
Results: EBHC training has been offered for physicians, dentists, physiotherapists, nurses and the medical industry within past three years in Finland. For physicians, separately tailored training sessions have been provided for anaesthesiologists, general practitioners, occupational physicians, orthopaedic specialists, psychiatrists, and paediatricians. Some training sessions have been targeted to clinicians, PhD students or university teachers. The content of the training has varied from basic concepts of EBHC, critical appraisal and reviewing skills to advanced methodological support for research teams. Training has been organised by the national Cochrane, HTA and Guideline entities, sometimes jointly by all three. Data on numbers and types of training occasions will be shown. Experts are also shifting from one type of EBHC activity to another, for example, from HTA to Cochrane reviewing. Instead of competing for scarce human resources, the national units offer a selection of working environments for people with different levels on interest.
Conclusions: Continuous training efforts are needed to keep up a large enough pool of skilful people to continue the work. Joint training in EBHC by the main organisations in the field saves resources and increases the number of potential reviewers for systematic reviews.
Objectives: To describe the EBHC training system in Finland, a country of 5.2 million people, and discuss its potential benefits.
Methods: Country case report. Data were collected from the yearly reports of the national Cochrane, HTA, and guidelines units in Finland in 2004-06.
Results: EBHC training has been offered for physicians, dentists, physiotherapists, nurses and the medical industry within past three years in Finland. For physicians, separately tailored training sessions have been provided for anaesthesiologists, general practitioners, occupational physicians, orthopaedic specialists, psychiatrists, and paediatricians. Some training sessions have been targeted to clinicians, PhD students or university teachers. The content of the training has varied from basic concepts of EBHC, critical appraisal and reviewing skills to advanced methodological support for research teams. Training has been organised by the national Cochrane, HTA and Guideline entities, sometimes jointly by all three. Data on numbers and types of training occasions will be shown. Experts are also shifting from one type of EBHC activity to another, for example, from HTA to Cochrane reviewing. Instead of competing for scarce human resources, the national units offer a selection of working environments for people with different levels on interest.
Conclusions: Continuous training efforts are needed to keep up a large enough pool of skilful people to continue the work. Joint training in EBHC by the main organisations in the field saves resources and increases the number of potential reviewers for systematic reviews.