AHRQ Begins Process of Updating Systematic Reviews

Evidence-based Practice Centers across the Effective Health Care (EHC) Program have begun the process of updating the Comparative Effectiveness Reviews published in the past 4 years. Currently, 10 reviews are being updated to reflect the most recent and accurate information on the comparative benefits and harms of drug therapies that range from the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptors for essential hypertension to nonopioid analgesics for inflammatory arthritis. AHRQ plans to release many of these updates during 2010. Read the full story.

Eisenberg Center Conference Series Explores New Tools for Decisionmaking

The second Eisenberg Center Conference Series, held in September of 2009, brought together a group of experts in health communication and decisionmaking from throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe to explore the role of Web-based tools in helping patients and clinicians make medical decisions. Read the full story.

EHC Program Spotlight: Vanderbilt Evidence-based Practice Center

Comparative Effectiveness News is adding a new feature with this edition: “The EHC Program Spotlight.” This feature will provide some background information on the many partners involved in the Effective Health Care Program — acquainting our readers with the 15 Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPCs), the 13 members of the Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions about Effectiveness (DEcIDE) Network, the 14 Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs), the Scientific Resource Center, and the John M. Eisenberg Center for Clinical Decisions and Communications Science. This issue will introduce the Vanderbilt EPC at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.