The recent revolution of evidence based practice will mean little if ways cannot be found to encourage the implementation of treatments of proven effectiveness. While this task is complex, it is central to the quality of health care. The recent reorganisation of quality activities in the United Kingdom NHS emphasised both the importance of knowledge access and the implementation of effective care, but Australia lags far behind.
Clinical effectiveness involves getting research into practice to improve health outcomes.
The Southern Health Care Network and Monash University established a Centre for Clinical Effectiveness in January 1998 with 12 months funding provided by Public Health Division, Department of Human Services. Since then the Centre has experienced considerable demand for its services. This project aims to improve routine service delivery and outcomes for patients by enhancing access to, and evaluation and implementation of, the best available evidence about effective care throughout the Southern Health Care Network. Although not a specific objective, this process is also likely to identify and decrease unplanned or inappropriate variations in care. An education program that builds on existing health informatics and critical appraisal training to deliver integrated teaching on the identification and evaluation of valid and relevant health information.