RTI-UNC EPC Methods and Results
Evidence-Based Practice Methodology
Similar to all evidence-based practice centers, the RTI-UNC EPC
- Fosters the development and dissemination of systematically developed, authoritative evidence reports (or technology assessments) on critical health care topics affecting all population groups
- Works with science partners that can use these reports to improve clinical practice and patient health and well-being and to make better decisions about the choice of effective and appropriate health care technologies
- Enhances methodologies for evidence reports and technology assessments
- Determines the effects of such materials on health care practices and patient outcomes.
Approach
As a general rule, the RTI-UNC EPC develops rigorous evidence reports (systematic and exhaustive reviews of the clinical literature) on critical clinical issues relating to prevention, screening, diagnosis, and therapy. This work typically includes the following steps:
- Creating causal pathways (graphical depictions of the analytic framework) and key clinical questions to guide the literature searches
- Developing a formal literature search strategy based on explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria
- Abstracting data from selected articles and other materials ("gray literature") using data abstraction instruments created specifically for the project
- Reviewing, critiquing, and grading this body of literature
- Resolving differences in findings, grading scores, and interpretation of results
- Creating evidence tables and a draft evidence report
- Conducting meta-analyses on appropriate articles, when warranted
- Revising the draft following extensive external peer review
- Preparing a manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed general medical journal.
In addition to the above tasks, the RTI-UNC EPC usually identifies a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to guide each project; staff also organize a panel of expert peer reviewers to review draft reports before the final is released. Often, a separate report is developed to advise the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) on how to best ensure that all professional groups, researchers, and other interested parties would learn of our findings. Occasionally, a separate report on recommendations for future research is prepared.
The RTI-UNC EPC overall abstract provides an overview of our technical approach.
Publications
All evidence reports and systematic reviews or their summaries are published by the AHRQ as part of its series of evidence reports and technology assessments. They are available from the Agency’s webpage (www.ahrq.gov/). Written requests may be sent to:
AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse
P.O. Box 8547
Silver Spring, MD 20907-8547
Electronic requests may be made to ahrqpubs@ahrq.gov.
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