Transferring evidence from research into practice: 3. Developing evidence-based clinical policy.

In previous editorials in this series (i, 2), we described a path that leads from health care research evidence to evidence-based health care. The steps include getting the evidence straight, developing evidence-based clinical policy, and then applying the policy. A policy is a statement of what should be done. Policies come in many forms. Health policies, for example, determine the funding of health care, and public health policies cover such issues as immunization and screening. Clinical policies, the focus of this essay, state what should be done in clinical practice. Clinical policies may be created by organizations and committees, but as clinicians, we also have our own personal policies for handling specific clinical situations (3). Personal policies are essential for action but are often problematic, particularly if they do not include evidence beyond our own clinical experiences. Formal policies are similarly problematic if they do not incorporate the best evidence. Evidence-based medicine provides ways to find and incorporate research evidence in clinical policies, both formal and personal,