Evidence Based Practice

Mariska Leeflang presents her work on Latest developments in systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy studies.

Evidence-based medicine is the process of life-long, self-directed learning in which caring for patients leads to the search for, critical appraisal, and incorporation into practice of valid and clinically important information about diagnosis, prognosis, therapy, and other clinical and health-care issues. Tammy discusses approaches to critical appraisal.

The Bond University Centre for Research in Evidence-Based Practice (CREBP) has been established to support research into Evidence-Based Practice initially based on the NHMRC Australia Fellowship grant awarded to Professor Paul Glasziou. The key areas of focus are to better understand the gaps between research evidence and its application in practice, including areas such as: the applicability of treatments to individuals, the effectiveness of diagnostic and disease monitoring processes, and the cognitive processes underpinning clinicians’ decisions about diagnosis and treatment. CREBP will undertake research about the processes and implementation of Evidence-Based Medicine, in order to more intelligently and efficiently close the gaps between best available evidence and current clinical practice. The effective integration of research into practice will contribute to the health and healthcare of Australians.

Antibiotics were once thought to be a panacea for any bacterial infection. They certainly can be life-saving in serious infections. But they have been found to be much less effective for acute respiratory infections than once assumed. In fact for some common infections, the adverse effects of antibiotics are as common as their positive benefits. Emerging data suggests that antibiotics induce resistance in bacteria not killed by them in the body. This is a community and public health concern because if resistance genes are passed along when antibiotics are used for common (non-life-threatening) infections, what happens when health is impacted by other more sinister bacteria that can cause a life-threatening infection? Professor Del Mar take us through several approaches to dealing with the problem on a national level. Antibiotic stewardship, a focus on primary care where most antibiotics are prescribed, and thinking about alternatives to antibiotics, are some of his solutions.

The research investment should be protected from the avoidable waste of inadequately producing and reporting research

An evaluation of the effectiveness of journal clubs in facilitating knowledge translation using the findings of a systematic review, a qualitative study and a worked example.

Improving the design and implementation of evidence-based practice depends on effective behaviour change interventions. Such interventions have had variable success. Behaviour change remains a formidable challenge, and we lack a clear understanding of effective techniques (“what works?) and mechanisms of change (“how do they work?”) across behaviours, populations and settings. To develop more effective interventions, we need to improve our scientific methods. This talk presents new methods for analysing the targeted behaviour (“COM-B”), specifying the content of behaviour change interventions (“taxonomies of behaviour change techniques”) and for linking them with intervention functions and policy categories (the “Behaviour Change Wheel”).

In 2025 there will be no type 2 diabeties. Nor will there be any obesity, hypertension or hypercholesterolemia. A more holistic vascular risk approach will help our patients. Rod Jackson is a professor of epidemiology in the Section of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland. He is medically trained, has a PhD in Epidemiology and is a member of the New Zealand College of Public Health Medicine. He has published over 230 peer-reviewed papers. His main research interest has been the epidemiology of cardiovascular diseases.

Explore practical ways to apply current evidence and benefit patient care with a GP Update collaborative 1 day workshop