{"title":"Focus is the new intelligence quotient for evidence-based practice.","authors":"Z. Jordan","doi":"10.1097/XEB.0000000000000211","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"The focus of most individuals and organizations working in the field of evidence-based healthcare (EBHC) is to operationalize evidence. Few would argue that the primary driver and ultimate objective of EBHC is to see it utilized to inform policy and practice that results in improved outcomes for patients. However, it is hard not to think of the infinity pool as a metaphor for the potentially limitless endeavour of methodological reflection, refinement and reconceptualization that many of us as evidence-based researchers seek to achieve. Diving into ‘methodological infinity pools’ (or down rabbit holes – you can choose whichever symbolism or imagery works best for you) can result in fresh, unexpected salience. There is no doubt that some benefit can come from considering tangential ways of thinking about some of the problems we seek to solve. Nevertheless, these tangents are not always necessarily productive or pragmatic and need to be tempered accordingly. The value proposition of systematic reviews in this context has been their ability to provide rigorously reviewed and synthesized trustworthy evidence. It is therefore critical that we deliver on that promise and invest in ensuring the highest quality result for key stakeholders. To that end, methodological advances in the science and timely delivery and update of evidence syntheses continue at a rapid rate. A considerable number of new methodological approaches are now appearing for different types of evidence, and there are also an increasing number of tools available to assist in improving reporting and methodological quality in the conduct of systematic reviews (QUOROM, PRISMA, AMSTAR, COSMIN, MOOSE, OQAQ, ROBIS). However, despite the existence of such tools common errors persist, including use of incomplete guidance, incorrect use of reporting tools and checklists or use of tolls in isolation without reference to methodological guidance for the conduct of reviews. Significant criticism has also been levelled at the science that currently underpins the conduct of systematic reviews and, in particular, meta-analyses. Prominent, experienced synthesis science scholars like John Ionnidis and Jos Kleijnen (among others) have been frequently cited for their observations regarding issues related to","PeriodicalId":55996,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2019-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"2","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1097/XEB.0000000000000211","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"Medicine","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 2
Abstract
The focus of most individuals and organizations working in the field of evidence-based healthcare (EBHC) is to operationalize evidence. Few would argue that the primary driver and ultimate objective of EBHC is to see it utilized to inform policy and practice that results in improved outcomes for patients. However, it is hard not to think of the infinity pool as a metaphor for the potentially limitless endeavour of methodological reflection, refinement and reconceptualization that many of us as evidence-based researchers seek to achieve. Diving into ‘methodological infinity pools’ (or down rabbit holes – you can choose whichever symbolism or imagery works best for you) can result in fresh, unexpected salience. There is no doubt that some benefit can come from considering tangential ways of thinking about some of the problems we seek to solve. Nevertheless, these tangents are not always necessarily productive or pragmatic and need to be tempered accordingly. The value proposition of systematic reviews in this context has been their ability to provide rigorously reviewed and synthesized trustworthy evidence. It is therefore critical that we deliver on that promise and invest in ensuring the highest quality result for key stakeholders. To that end, methodological advances in the science and timely delivery and update of evidence syntheses continue at a rapid rate. A considerable number of new methodological approaches are now appearing for different types of evidence, and there are also an increasing number of tools available to assist in improving reporting and methodological quality in the conduct of systematic reviews (QUOROM, PRISMA, AMSTAR, COSMIN, MOOSE, OQAQ, ROBIS). However, despite the existence of such tools common errors persist, including use of incomplete guidance, incorrect use of reporting tools and checklists or use of tolls in isolation without reference to methodological guidance for the conduct of reviews. Significant criticism has also been levelled at the science that currently underpins the conduct of systematic reviews and, in particular, meta-analyses. Prominent, experienced synthesis science scholars like John Ionnidis and Jos Kleijnen (among others) have been frequently cited for their observations regarding issues related to
期刊介绍:
The International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare is the official journal of the Joanna Briggs Institute. It is a fully refereed journal that publishes manuscripts relating to evidence-based medicine and evidence-based practice. It publishes papers containing reliable evidence to assist health professionals in their evaluation and decision-making, and to inform health professionals, students and researchers of outcomes, debates and developments in evidence-based medicine and healthcare.
The journal provides a unique home for publication of systematic reviews (quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, economic, scoping and prevalence) and implementation projects including the synthesis, transfer and utilisation of evidence in clinical practice. Original scholarly work relating to the synthesis (translation science), transfer (distribution) and utilization (implementation science and evaluation) of evidence to inform multidisciplinary healthcare practice is considered for publication. The journal also publishes original scholarly commentary pieces relating to the generation and synthesis of evidence for practice and quality improvement, the use and evaluation of evidence in practice, and the process of conducting systematic reviews (methodology) which covers quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, economic, scoping and prevalence methods. In addition, the journal’s content includes implementation projects including the transfer and utilisation of evidence in clinical practice as well as providing a forum for the debate of issues surrounding evidence-based healthcare.