Background National community health worker (CHW) programmes are increasingly regarded as an integral component of primary healthcare (PHC) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). At the interface of the formal health system and communities, CHW programmes evolve in context specific ways, with unique cadres and a variety of vertical and horizontal relationships. These programmes need...

BACKGROUND There is an emerging body of literature suggesting that the evidence-practice divide in health policy is complex and multi-factorial but less is known about the processes by which health policy-makers use evidence and their views about the specific features of useful evidence. This study aimed to contribute to understandings of how the most influential health policy-makers view usefu...

There are two mega-trends in society as well as in the health care system: standardization and individualization. Our hypothesis is that these trends are not fully compatible. They are the reason for many conflicts in health care and in the care of the elderly. On the one hand, evidence-based standards of care can help to enhance disability-free life expectancy. On the other hand, these standar...

BACKGROUND Problems may arise during the approval process of treatment after a compensable work injury, which include excess paperwork, delays in approving services, disputes, and allegations of over-servicing. This is perceived as undesirable for injured people, health care professionals and claims managers, and costly to the health care system, compensation system, workplaces and society. Int...

Changing physician behaviour has become an important focus of medicine over the past two decades. The rapid expansion of medical knowledge and concerns about quality of care, have led to the birth of both the practice guideline movement 5 and evidence based medicine. 7 More recently, medical informatics and patient participation in care have matured as distinct clinical and research entities. G...

Changing physician behaviour has become an important focus of medicine over the past two decades. The rapid expansion of medical knowledge and concerns about quality of care, have led to the birth of both the practice guideline movement 5 and evidence based medicine. 7 More recently, medical informatics and patient participation in care have matured as distinct clinical and research entities. G...

Knowledge and training in evidence-based medicine is essential for informed clinical decision-making and treatment choices. Systematic reviews identify, appraise and synthesize research-based evidence and present it in accessible format. The Indian Council of Medical Research has promoted evidence-based medicine in India by establishing an Advanced Center for evidence based medicine that hosted...

health reform is the outcome of dispersed policy initiatives in different sectors, at different levels and across time. policy work which can drive coherent health reform needs to operate across the governance structures as well as the institutions that comprise healthcare systems. building policy capacity to support health reform calls for clarity regarding the nature of such policy work and t...