PDQ-Evidence for Informed Health Policymaking

PDQ (“pretty darn quick”)-Evidence facilitates rapid access to the best available evidence for decisions about health systems. It includes systematic reviews, overviews of reviews (including evidence-based policy briefs), primary studies included in systematic reviews and structured summaries of that evidence. PDQ-Evidence was developed and is maintained by systematically searching PubMed and other databases for relevant systematic reviews and overviews of reviews.

The database is available here.

Interventions to improve the use of systematic reviews in decision-making by health system managers

"Systematic review evidence may be used in priority setting, policy, planning and purchasing health-care interventions, and clinical decision-making."

Interventions to improve the use of systematic reviews in decision-making by health system managers, policy makers and clinicians
Murthy L, Shepperd S, Clarke MJ, Garner SE, Lavis JN, Perrier L, Roberts NW, Straus SE
Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group
The Cochrane Library
September 2012

Read more here.

Outcomes matter: effective commissioning in domiciliary care

"This report sets out to investigate current practice in commissioning for outcomes in domiciliary care in England."

Outcomes matter: effective commissioning in domiciliary care
L Lucas, J Carr-West
October 2012

Read more here.

Driving improvement in A & E services

"Trusts have reduced reattendance rates by providing comprehensive information and followup advice when patients leave A & E."

Driving improvement in A & E services
Foundation Trust Network
October 2012

Read more here.

Hospital to home resource pack

This Hospital to Home Resource Pack contains essential information for all the professional sectors that have a role in hospital discharge for older people in England. It contains information, suggestions for action, case studies and checklists for considering older patients’ housing situations in hospital discharge and transfer of care and for improving integration of housing and support into the process for discharging older people.

Read more here.

Managing boundaries in primary care service improvement

"The strongest boundaries, however, lay between individual general practices, with inter-organisational knowledge sharing and collaboration between them remaining unequally developed across different areas due to historical factors, competition and strong organisational identification."

Managing boundaries in primary care service improvement: a developmental approach to communities of practice
R Kislov, K Walshe, G Harvey
Implementation Science, 2012, 7:97

Read more here.

Urgent care centres: what works best?

"This paper offers some key thinking points for clinical commissioners to consider as they develop their plans for integrated, 24/7 urgent and emergency care."

Urgent care centres: what works best?
Primary Care Foundation
October 2012

Read more here.