Knowledge Translation Activities at McMaster

Background
Evidence-based clinical practice (EBCP) is an approach to health care that is the logical extension of the concept of evidence-based medicine. It focuses on using evidence relevant to each patient, evaluating its quality, and incorporating patient values into clinical decisions.

EBCP, like Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM), is an important framework for approaching clinical questions. The tradeoffs between risks and benefits are often finely balanced, and patients with differing values will make different choices. EBCP helps clinicians evaluate and identify the most effective course of action in a particular situation.

About
Members of the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics have developed an annual, five day workshop to teach and enhance participants’ EBCP skills.

The EBCP workshop:

• Focuses on critical appraisal of medical literature and incorporating patient values into decisions, as well as how to teach EBCP.
• Has separate tutorial groups to accommodate participants with basic, intermediate or a deep understanding of evidence-based practices and teaching.
• Has tutorial groups also based on medical specialty, e.g., emergency medicine, family medicine, gastroenterology, internal medicine, pediatrics and surgery.
• Features a mixture of lecture style topics and tutorial groups, with the emphasis on small group learning.

Knowledge Translation at McMaster
The EBCP workshop is an educational initiative designed to help clinicians learn how to teach and apply evidence-based clinical practice. The goal is to improve the uptake and use of evidence in clinical decisions. Training and education in KT skills is one avenue through which McMaster supports knowledge translation. The EBCP workshop facilitates education in KT fields by training clinicians to be proficient in the use and evaluation of various types of medical evidence.

Contact Information:
Deborah Maddock (Workshop Coordinator) <maddock@mcmaster.ca>
Monica Owen (Workshop Registrar)<mowen@mcmaster.ca>
http://clarity.mcmaster.ca/