Contemporary evidence-based practice in Canadian emergency medical services: a vision for integrating evidence into clinical and policy decision-making

Abstract

Nationally, emphasis on the importance of evidencebased practice (EBP) in emergency medicine and emergency medical services (EMS) has continuously increased. However, meaningful incorporation of effective and sustainable EBP into clinical and administrative decision-making remains a challenge. We propose a vision for EBP in EMS: Canadian EMS clinicians and leaders will understand and use the best available evidence for clinical and administrative decisionmaking, to improve patient health outcomes, the capability and quality of EMS systems of care, and safety of patients and EMS professionals. This vision can be implemented with the use of a structure, process, system, and outcome taxonomy to identify current barriers to true EBP, to recognize the opportunities that exist, and propose corresponding recommended strategies for local EMS agencies and at the national level. Framing local and national discussions with this approach will be useful for developing a cohesive and collaborative Canadian EBP strategy. RÉSUMÉ

Towards thirty years of evidence-based practice (II): A critical reflection on the healthcare management.

“…One of the recurring failures identified has been the lack of policies focused on the development of these managerial skills to facilitate the implementation of evidence-based practice. 1,4 This has frequently made health management a barrier to the achievement of its massive and effective use. In fact, managers of health centers and networks, as well as those of the governing bodies of their respective systems, apart from being able to integrate evidence into their decision-making, should become the main promoters of that approach.…”