Center, for example, evaluates the quali- ty of the available research, which physi- cians can see on a “strength of evidence scale” displayed on a clinician summary. Throughout the process, the center also relies on subject-matter experts, includ- ing physicians, who understand the nu- ances of a particular condition, to devel- op the topics and create and peer-review the summaries.
“If we get the questions wrong or the methodology is inaccurate, nobody will use these reports. So we hope that by engaging not only physicians, but also patients, early on in the process and fre- quently, we create something that quite frankly will be useful in their day-to-day decisionmaking,” Dr. Janakiraman said. The California internist added that some medical specialty societies, includ- ing the American College of Physicians, have used the information to inform their clinical guidelines development. But the reports are not treatment rec- ommendations, Dr. Janakiraman insists. “We review what’s known and not known and outline the benefits and harms. And the idea is to couple that with the provider’s own expertise and patient preferences,” she said. “We un- derstand this is just one tool physicians can use to inform their decisionmaking, and this is in no way meant to replace their clinical judgment.”
Maximizing physicians’ time TMA’s Council on Health Care Quality members say the EHC Program can re- ally help maximize physicians’ precious time.
“I can spend just a few minutes look- ing at the bullet points, or if I have more time, I can drill down into the evidence,” Dr. Ehrlich said. And because so many of her patients are diabetic, she has a paperless hotlink she emails with back- ground on the disease and treatment op- tions, “which helps support the conver- sation I have with my patients.” Navigating the materials and web- sites may require some extra time ini- tially, she says. But participation in the program is voluntary and does not come with any maintenance-of-certification- type requirements. Nor does Dr. Ehrlich find it prescrip-
Delivering effective care
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ’s) Effective Health Care Program provides free tools that help physicians practice evidence-based medicine. AHRQ sum- marizes the findings of scientific research on the effective- ness, benefits, and risks of treatment options for the sample of chronic health conditions mentioned below, among others, and translates the findings into practical resources.
• Brain and nerve conditions; • Cancer; • Diabetes mellitus; • Gynecology; • Infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS; • Mental health; • Muscle, bone, and joint conditions; • Obesity; and • Pregnancy and childbirth.
Diabetes and cardiovascular disease research summaries and other tools are downloadable at no cost on TMA’s website,
www.texmed.org/Effective_Health_Care_AHRQ. Information on other conditions is available at
www.ahrq.gov/professionals/ bottomline/
index.html. Other free resources are online at www
.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov.
AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program also includes videos like this one explaining to patients what it means to be newly diagnosed and how to explore evidence-based treatment options with their physicians.
June 2014 TEXAS MEDICINE 51
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