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Evidence Based Health Practice

Evidence-based health practice applies the scientific method to use the best available evidence—from physical exams, diagnostic reviews, medical research, and known risks and benefits of treatment options—when making medical decisions. RAND has investigated the impact of adopting evidence-based health practices on patient care and health care policies, and the greater implications of using a national quality measurement and reporting system.

News Release

News Release

Changing Financial Incentives, Other Strategies Can Improve Impact of Comparative Effectiveness Studies on Patient Care

Comparative effectiveness research conducted over the past decade has had a limited impact on the way medical care is delivered, but many opportunities exist to help doctors and others in the medical system translate such research into better patient care.

Oct 9, 2012
Journal Article

Journal Article

Lessons Learned from a Quality Improvement Intervention with Homeless Veteran Services

Homeless veterans are a vulnerable population, with high mortality and morbidity rates. Evidence-based practices for homelessness have been challenging to implement.

Aug 1, 2012
Journal Article

Journal Article

Developing Clinical Practice Guidelines: Target Audiences, Identifying Topics for Guidelines, Guideline Group Composition and Functioning and Conflicts of Interest

This study discusses the target audience(s) for guidelines, identifying topics for guidelines, guideline group composition and the processes by which guideline groups function, and managing conflicts of interest in guideline development.

Jul 1, 2012
Journal Article

Journal Article

Developing Clinical Practice Guidelines: Reviewing, Reporting, and Publishing Guidelines ; Updating Guidelines ; and the Emerging Issues of Enhancing Guideline Implementability and Accounting for Comorbid Conditions in Guidelines Development

Clinical practice guidelines are one of the foundations of efforts to improve health care.

Jul 1, 2012
Journal Article

Clinical Practice Guidelines: A Foundation of Efforts to Improve Health Care

Researchers discuss deciding what type of evidence and outcomes to include in guidelines; integrating values into a guideline; incorporating economic considerations; synthesis, grading, and presentation of evidence; and moving from evidence to recommendations.

Jul 1, 2012
Commentary

Promoting Success: Using Data to Inform Decision Making

Many organizations that we have worked with indicate that this approach has helped improve reporting and communication both within and external to their organization, writes Sarah Hunter.

Mar 21, 2012
Report

Report

National Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches: Assessing Program Outcomes

Shares the results of Safe Start Promising Approaches, a community-based initiative that implemented and evaluated promising and evidence-based programs to prevent and reduce the impact of children's exposure to violence in 15 U.S. program sites.

Jan 4, 2012
Journal Article

Journal Article

Complementary Alternative and Integrative Medicine: Current Challenges for Outcomes Measurement

Complementary alternative medicine (CAM) and integrative medicine (IM) represent non-traditional approaches to health care practice that have become increasingly popular in the United States and throughout the world.

Dec 1, 2011
Journal Article

Journal Article

Updating Comparative Effectiveness Reviews: Current Efforts in AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program

Comparative effectiveness reviews need to be regularly updated as new evidence is produced. Lack of attention to updating may lead to outdated and sometimes misleading conclusions that compromise health care and policy decisions.

Oct 31, 2011
Research Brief

Research Brief

Reducing the Impact of Children's Exposure to Violence: Results of the National Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches

RAND's evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches identified program successes and challenges in implementing programs for children exposed to violence. The evaluation results, though largely inconclusive, can inform similar efforts going forward.

Sep 13, 2011
Report

Report

National Evaluation of Safe Start Promising Approaches: Assessing Program Outcomes

Shares the results of Safe Start Promising Approaches, a community-based initiative that implemented and evaluated promising and evidence-based programs to prevent and reduce the impact of children's exposure to violence in 15 U.S. program sites.

Aug 25, 2011
Journal Article

Journal Article

Bridging the Gap Between Basic Science and Clinical Practice: A Role for Community Clinicians

A paradigm shift involving acknowledgement of the value of clinicians in the context of community research, establishment of a stable infrastructure to support a cohort of clinicians across time and research studies, and realignment of incentives to encourage participation in clinical research is required.

Apr 5, 2011
Journal Article

Journal Article

Bridging the Gap Between Basic Science and Clinical Practice: The Role of Organizations in Addressing Clinician Barriers

This paper identifies several approaches that healthcare organizations can use to overcome barriers to clinician participation in research studies.

Apr 3, 2011
Journal Article

Journal Article

Partnered Evaluation of a Community Engagement Intervention: Use of a Kickoff Conference in a Randomized Trial for Depression Care Improvement in Underserved Communities

This article evaluates a community engagement strategy employed in the Community Partners in Care (CPIC) study, the first randomized controlled trial of the role of community engagement in adapting and implementing evidence-based depression care.

Jan 1, 2011
Journal Article

Journal Article

Assessing the Evidence for Context-Sensitive Effectiveness and Safety of Patient Safety Practices: Developing Criteria

This report addresses the need for clearer understanding of the evidence base regarding the effectiveness and context-sensitivity of patient safety practices and presents recommendations for future research on this topic.

Nov 30, 2010
Report

Report

Achieving Strong Teamwork Practices in Hospital Labor and Delivery Units

To learn how hospital labor and delivery units can achieve effective and sustainable teamwork practices and how much such practices affect staff experiences and patient outcomes, RAND researchers studied five units as they implemented improvements.

Oct 7, 2010
Journal Article

Journal Article

A Collaborative Approach to Identifying Effective Incentives for Mental Health Clinicians to Improve Depression Care in a Large Managed Behavioral Healthcare Organization

Giving incentives to mental health clinicians in managed behavioral health organizations to provide evidence-based care is feasible, but administrative barriers and limited clinical data may make implementation challenging.

Dec 31, 2009
Journal Article

Journal Article

Usual Care Psychotherapy for Depression in a Large Managed Behavioral Health Organization

Many depressed patients are receiving recommended psychotherapy but better tools are needed to monitor and improve the quality of usual psychotherapeutic care.

Dec 31, 2009
Journal Article

Journal Article

Reducing Inequities Among Children with Asthma in the Island of Puerto Rico: Experiences of a Community-Based, Trans-Sectoral Effort

This project has implemented successful interventions to improve the quality of life and reduce disparities for children with asthma in Puerto Rico.

Oct 31, 2009
Journal Article

Journal Article

Strengthening Prevention Performance Using Technology: A Formative Evaluation of Interactive Getting to Outcomes®

This article reports on a formative evaluation of efforts to build community-based prevention capacity in two states (Tennessee and Missouri) using an Internet-based system known as interactive Getting To Outcomes® (iGTO).

Sep 30, 2009

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RAND Topic:
Evidence Based Health Practice

Topic Synonyms:
EBP;
Evidence-Based Practice

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Susanne Hempel

Director, Southern California Evidence-based Practice Center

Susanne Hempel is an affiliated adjunct at the RAND Corporation. She is the director of the Southern California Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC), leading contracts for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Psychological Health Center of Excellence (PHCoE), and other…
Sonja Marjanovic

Director, Healthcare Innovation, Industry and Policy, RAND Europe

Sonja Marjanovic directs RAND Europe’s portfolio of research in the field of healthcare innovation, industry and policy. Her work provides decision makers with evidence and insights to support innovation and improvement in healthcare systems, and to support the translation of innovation into…

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