A new EPOC in Australian health research

Gruen, Russell L; Buchan, Heather; Davies, Jan; Mayhew, Alain; Grimshaw, Jeremy M

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2006.tb00085.x

Topics

Statistics, epidemiology and research design

Contributing to health services research, implementation and effective health policy-making

Some of the most pressing issues in Australian health care are not about the efficacy of particular treatments, but rather how health services can be organised to deliver optimal care. Examples of service-related initiatives familiar to most clinicians include:

1 Menzies School of Health Research, Institute of Advanced Studies, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT.
2 National Institute of Clinical Studies, Melbourne, VIC.
3 Cochrane EPOC Review Group, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Correspondence:

1. Clarke M. The Cochrane Collaboration: providing and obtaining the best evidence about the effects of health care. Eval Health Prof 2002; 25: 8-11.
2. Egger M, Smith GD, O’Rourke K. Rationale, potentials, and promise of systematic reviews. In: Egger M, Smith GD, Altman DG, editors. Systematic reviews in health care: meta-analysis in context. 2nd ed. London: BMJ Books, 2001.
3. Lavis JN, Posada FB, Haines A, Osei E. Use of research to inform public policymaking. Lancet 2004; 364: 1615-1621.
4. Bero LA, Eccles M, Grilli R, et al, editors. Effective practice and organisation of care group. About the Cochrane Collaboration (Collaborative Review Groups) 2002, Issue 1. Available at: http://www.epoc.uottawa.ca/ (accessed Nov 2005).

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