An evidence-based care program in a local healthcare setting in Brazil: Experience and impact

Objective

To provide an overview of the activities and impact of an Evidence-Based Care Program (EBCP) on professionals’ decision-making in a large hospital located in São Paulo, Brazil.

Methods

Retrospective descriptive analysis of a hospital EBCP's database (covering a 40-month period), involving data from the studies conducted and an online feedback survey.

Results

Since its inception, the EBCP performed 95 scientific technical reports, including 55 Rapid Systematic Reviews (RSR) and 40 Literature Reviews (LR). The authors identified 21 review topics, with the 3 most common being inpatients (n = 20), oncology (n = 11), and surgical procedure (n = 9). The 3 most common technologies assessed were medical devices (n = 28), drugs (n = 27), and scale/questionnaire (n = 16). Studies were mainly used to update policy or procedure (n = 59), support scientific research (n = 10), support clinical program development (n = 8), provide clinical guidance (n = 7), or as a communication tool (n = 5). Among the requestors who responded to the feedback survey (76/95), 97 % agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the review delivered, and 100 % indicated that they likely would request a review in the future and would indicate the EBCP to a coworker. Among the RSR responders (51/55), 94 % agreed or strongly agreed that the EBCP work informed their project or final decision, and 32 % reported that the result presented changed their perspective about the technology assessed.

Conclusion

Employing evidence-based methodology, the program provided timely and pertinent evidence for local decision-making. Health professionals who utilized the EBPC expressed high satisfaction with the process and reported a positive shift in their decision-making.