Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: Despite global calls for promoting the use of research for informing decisions about health, the use of evidence in policymaking and practice remains a challenge.
Objectives: This research aimed 1) to design knowledge translation products to guide informed and shared clinical decisions, and 2) to develop core competences, skills and behaviors in evidence-based concepts for informed decisions about health in a group of pharmacy undergraduate students.
Methods: Pharmacy students from Brazil developing their undergraduate thesis were supervised to work on the subjects ‘health education’ and ‘evidence-based practice’ by designing a knowledge translation product to inform the use of evidence, considering local resources and costs. Students had no basic training in research and followed a structured tutorial of activities and learning materials focused on tools for evidence-informed health care.
Results: Four undergraduate theses were developed in different topics: 1) metformin for polycystic ovary syndrome, 2) treatment of sinusitis in children, 3) antibiotics for acute otitis media in children, and 4) beta-blockers for hypertension during pregnancy. All of them were based on a Cochrane Systematic Review and included a leaflet or infographic diagram as a final product. During the oral presentation of the theses, students were able to demonstrate critical understanding of the concepts for informing decisions about health in order to influence future professional environments.
Conclusions: Undergraduate training of differentiated professional who value the impact that information and health education have for the success of health interventions. Knowledge translation to consumers, healthcare professionals, or policy makers may significantly improve the curriculum of courses in the health area and play an important role in designing expert contents to inform the translation of research into practice and policy. Similar experiences could support Cochrane activities developed to support the use of evidence-based research by health professionals and consumers.
Objectives: This research aimed 1) to design knowledge translation products to guide informed and shared clinical decisions, and 2) to develop core competences, skills and behaviors in evidence-based concepts for informed decisions about health in a group of pharmacy undergraduate students.
Methods: Pharmacy students from Brazil developing their undergraduate thesis were supervised to work on the subjects ‘health education’ and ‘evidence-based practice’ by designing a knowledge translation product to inform the use of evidence, considering local resources and costs. Students had no basic training in research and followed a structured tutorial of activities and learning materials focused on tools for evidence-informed health care.
Results: Four undergraduate theses were developed in different topics: 1) metformin for polycystic ovary syndrome, 2) treatment of sinusitis in children, 3) antibiotics for acute otitis media in children, and 4) beta-blockers for hypertension during pregnancy. All of them were based on a Cochrane Systematic Review and included a leaflet or infographic diagram as a final product. During the oral presentation of the theses, students were able to demonstrate critical understanding of the concepts for informing decisions about health in order to influence future professional environments.
Conclusions: Undergraduate training of differentiated professional who value the impact that information and health education have for the success of health interventions. Knowledge translation to consumers, healthcare professionals, or policy makers may significantly improve the curriculum of courses in the health area and play an important role in designing expert contents to inform the translation of research into practice and policy. Similar experiences could support Cochrane activities developed to support the use of evidence-based research by health professionals and consumers.