Apologies for cross-posting
**************************
'EVIDENCE-BASED DECISION-MAKING - BEYOND THE BASICS'
Workshop 3-5 December 2003
Institute of Child Health, London
Evidence-based decision making explicitly acknowledges the evidence that
contributes to each patient management decision, the strength of that
evidence, the benefits and risks of alternative management strategies, and
the role of patients' values and preferences in trading off those benefits
and risks. In order to weigh the costs and consequences of tests,
interventions, or information, clinicians and policy makers need to
interpret the added value of diagnostic tests, the harm associated with
certain exposures, the prognosis of disease in a specific patient, and the
effectiveness of an intervention. As the trade off between risks and
benefits are often finely balanced, patients with differing values and
preference will make different choices.
THEME
Synthesising evidence for decision-making
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
The workshop is intended for practitioners in health or social care who
have a working knowledge of the principles of evidence-based practice. It
is particularly relevant for practitioners with responsibility for guiding
practice within their area, especially those engaged in writing guidelines
or care pathways. We expect that participants will feel confident about
appraising a single study.
AIMS OF THE WORKSHOP
To help participants advance their critical appraisal skills, to develop
participants' skills in incorporating values and preferences in decision-
making, and to raise awareness of approaches to synthesising evidence.
WORKSHOP CONTENT
Defining and prioritising information needs: Common sense approaches for
framing the decisions and different questions that need to be answered when
managing a particular patient problem. This will include an introduction to
methods for summarising information about multiple decision options and
outcomes (eg: decision analysis, use of clinical balance sheets).
Applying evidence to individual patients: To trade off the benefits and
harms of therapy or diagnosis for a particular patient, practitioners need
to integrate evidence from different types of studies (eg. on treatment
efficacy or test accuracy, and baseline risk), with information on the
patient's values and preferences. We will also discuss issues relevant to
the interpretation of meta-analyses and whether the treatment effect varies
between studies and patient groups.
Synthesising evidence for a pathway of management: We will discuss the use
of decision analysis and economic analyses to determine optimal decisions
when there are multiple options and outcomes.
WORKSHOP FORMAT
The course will involve a mix of interactive plenary sessions, facilitated
small group sessions, and a self-directed team project on evidence
synthesis. Small group sessions will be based on clinical scenarios from
across the spectrum of health and social care focussing on reviews or other
studies in the area of interventions, test accuracy, and prognosis.
Excellent facilities are available for electronic searching with tutor
support.
TUTORS
Ruth Gilbert, Director, Centre for Evidence-based Child Health, London
Stuart Logan, Professor of Health and Social Care, Peninsula Medical
School, Exeter
Paul Glasziou, Director, Centre for Evidence-based Medicine and Visiting
Professor of Primary Care, Oxford
Amanda Burls, Director of the West Midlands HTA Collaboration, Senior
Lecturer in Public Health
Jill Ellis, Lecturer in Evidence-based Community Child Health, Institute of
Child Health
Cost: £500 (including catering, course materials, and book on
evidence-based practice)
Venue: Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N
1EH
Contact: For an application form, please contact Melissa Harden on
0207 905 2606 or [log in to unmask]
|