Putting Evidence Into Practice


This edition of Health Affairs, sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), provides a variety of perspectives on the challenges and potential rewards of building and using a stronger evidence base for health care decisions.

Articles in this edition review the history and context of evidence-based decisionmaking; they describe the challenges of developing the most relevant evidence for different clinical and policy decisions. They discuss obstacles and opportunities for practitioners and policymakers seeking to implement evidence-based decisions.

Accessibility Notice: Each article is linked to a PDF file. These files are not resident on a Government Web site and do not comply with the requirements for Federal information resources under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Copyright © 2005, Health Affairs January-February 2005 (1). Linked with permission. Institutions with subscriptions to this journal should be able to access the full text of articles. Individuals without subscriptions may only be able to access the abstracts.


Contents

From the Editor
The New Imperative: Producing Better Evidence

History & Context
PROLOGUE: Evidence-Based Medicine: History and Context
Evidence-Based Medicine: A Unified Approach
   David M. Eddy

The Promises and Pitfalls of Evidence-Based Medicine
   Stefan Timmermans and Aaron Mauck

Evidence, Politics, and Technological Change
   Annetine C. Gelijns, Lawrence D. Brown, Corey Magnell, Elettra Ronchi, and Alan J.Moskowitz

Case Studies
PROLOGUE: Evidence-Based Medicine Case Studies
Evidence-Based Medicine and Policy: The Case of the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator
   Mark A. Hlatky, Gillian D. Sanders, and Douglas K. Owens

PERSPECTIVE: Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators: An Excellent Case Study
   Marshall S. Stanton

Evidence, Economics, and Emphysema: Medicare's Long Journey with Lung Volume Reduction Surgery
   Scott D. Ramsey and Sean D. Sullivan

Surrogate Endpoints and FDA's Accelerated Approval Process
   Thomas R. Fleming

Evaluating Evidence
PROLOGUE: Evaluating Evidence
Evidence Based? Caveat Emptor!
   Earl P. Steinberg and Bryan R. Luce

When Is Evidence Sufficient?
   Karl Claxton, Joshua T. Cohen, and Peter J. Neumann

Making Policy When the Evidence Is in Dispute
   David Atkins, Joanna Siegel, and Jean Slutsky
Evidence of Evidence-Based Health Policy: The Politics of Systematic Reviews in Coverage Decisions
   Daniel M. Fox
PERSPECTIVE: Using Evidence Reports: Progress and Challenges In Evidence-Based Decision Making
   Mark Helfand
PERSPECTIVE: Comparative Effectiveness: Asking the Right Questions, Choosing the Right Method
   Steven M. Teutsch, Marc L. Berger, and Milton C.Weinstein
PERSPECTIVE: Evidence-Based Medicine in the United States—De Rigueur or Dream Deferred?
   Dan Mendelson and Tanisha V. Carino

Implementing Evidence
PROLOGUE: Implementing Evidence
Evidence-Based Quality Improvement: The State of the Science
   Kaveh G. Shojania and Jeremy M. Grimshaw
Evidence-Based Decision Making: Global Evidence, Local Decisions
   Carolyn M. Clancy and Kelly Cronin
Evidence-Based Practice as Mental Health Policy: Three Controversies and a Caveat
   Sandra J. Tanenbaum
PERSPECTIVE: Evidence-Based Guidelines as a Foundation for Performance Incentives
   Alan M. Garber
PERSPECTIVE: A Clinical Research Strategy To Support Shared Decision Making
   Sean R. Tunis


Internet Citation:

Putting Evidence Into Practice. Articles from Health Affairs, Jan-Feb 2005. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/healthaff.htm


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