The development of an evidence based chronic diseases management resource for health practitioners to use at the point of care

Article type
Authors
Khalil H1, Chambers H1, Munn Z2, Porritt K2
1Monash University, School of Rural Health, Australia
2The University of Adelaide, Australia
Abstract
Background: There is a large gap between evidence and practice within health care, particularly within the field of chronic disease. To reduce this gap, and improve the management of chronic disease, a collaborative partnership between two schools within a large university and two industry partners (a large regional rural hospital and a rural community health centre) was developed to research the area.
Objectives: The aim of the collaboration was to promote the development of translation science and the implementation of evidence-based health care in chronic disease with a specific focus on developing evidence-based resources that are easily accessed by clinicians.
Methods: A working group consisting of members of the collaborating organisations and an internationally renowned expert reference group was formed. The group acted as a steering committee and were tasked to develop a taxonomy for the resources. In addition, a peer review process of all resources was established. A corresponding reference group, consisting of researchers and clinicians who are clinical experts in various fields, was involved in the review process. The resources developed by the group include evidence summaries and recommended practices made available on a web-based database and accessed via subscription by clinicians and researchers worldwide.
Results: As of early 2015, there were 147 new evidence summaries and 30 recommended practices detailing the best available evidence on topics related to chronic disease management including asthma, diabetes, heart failure, dementia and others. Training sessions and a newsletter have also been developed for clinicians within the node to enable them to use the content effectively.
Conclusions: The successful development of the collaborative partnership and its evolution into producing a valuable resource for the translation of evidence into practice in the areas of chronic disease management will enable clinicians to access updated, pre-appraised summaries at the point of care.