The Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) at the University of Alberta is now the only one left in the country after the latest round of renewals from the EPC's American funding body, the Agency of Healthcare Research & Quality.
"It is really quite amazing," said Brian Rowe, co-director of the centre, professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and associate dean of clinical research in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. "When funding tightened, we were concerned they [the U.S. agency] might want to restrict funding to U.S. centres. The fact we received funding is a great accomplishment and reflects well on the EPC team, our core staff and our leaders."
"I consider it an honour to have been renewed as one of 11 EPCs in North America," said Lisa Hartling, director of the EPC. "This reflects on the excellent work we have done over the past 10 years in collaboration with many investigators across several faculties at the U of A."
The EPC, a research group in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, is tasked by the agency and its stakeholders to review scientific studies to generate complex syntheses which often contribute to future guidelines for practice, insurance coverage decisions, quality measures, education materials and tools, and research agendas.
Once the EPC is tasked with an assignment, Hartling Rowe and fellow co-director Donna Dryden, reach out to faculty members to seek active participation in the project. Being home to this type of centre has its advantages for many across the U of A.
"We regularly identify the clinicians and researchers we need from within the university for these projects," said Rowe. "Our advantage is that we have a large and highly skilled faculty. For example, if we have a cardiac question we can find an interested cardiologist to participate; for mental health problems we have strong psychiatric and mental health programs and members who are eager to help. Finally, our internal medicine, pediatric and emergency medicine groups have also been very active with the EPC.
"Whatever we need to make that team, we seem to be able to find collaborators at the U of A. This increases productivity of researchers and it allows them the opportunity to be involved in evidence synthesis as well as guideline development."
Most of the research questions result in anywhere from three to seven publications for the faculty's researchers in high-impact journals such as: British Medical Journal, Pediatrics, the Journal of the American Medical Association and Annals of Internal Medicine. Hartling says recent topics included a comparative review which identified the most effective treatments for patients suffering an acute migraine headache. In addition, the EPC recently completed reviews of the use of anti-psychotic agents in both children and adults.
"The EPC has been a strong advocate for evidence-based decision-making, which is important for policy-makers, administrators, clinicians and patients," said Hartling.
Because the agency and its stakeholders generate the research questions, they're invested in the outcomes and the recommendations made by researchers often come to fruition, says Rowe.
"If the project idea originates from stakeholders, you're almost guaranteed they're going to be involved in knowledge uptake and dissemination, and the results can have a direct impact on patient care," he said.