Tag Archives: what works

Finding “the best” way

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Patricia Rogers

Yet another study announced which aims to find “the” best way – this time the best way to treat anorexia nervosa.  As reported in The Age: Australian researchers will conduct a world-first study to find the optimal treatment for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Appropriate inference, Appropriate reporting, Causal inference, Meta-evaluation, Synthesis of findings | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What constitutes “evidence”? Implications for cutting-edge, tailored treatments, and small sub-populations

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Jane Davidson

In the medical profession in particular, there are some very rigid beliefs about what constitutes good enough “evidence of effectiveness” to justify offering, recommending, allowing patients to try, or even just not vehemently opposing a particular type of treatment for a patient.

There are some glimmers of hope in other sectors (e.g. in the Best Evidence Synthesis work here in New Zealand). But there are still three areas where there are very serious challenges in building a credible evidence base given the kinds of constraints and realities surrounding them. They are: (1) cutting-edge treatments; (2) treatments that are by their very nature tailored/individualized rather than standardized across patients or populations; and (3) learning what works for small sub-populations Continue reading →

Posted in Causal inference, Community programs, Development, Education, Government programs, Health, Strategic policy evaluation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments