How to Create an Evidence-Based Protocol

Evidence-based protocols are often associated with medical treatment, though they may also be developed and used in relation to other activities. Evidence is something that can be seen or that can be proved or disproved. Protocols are details of how something should be dealt with. In medical care, this could be a treatment plan that should be followed for a particular condition. Both the White House and Congress are working toward a time where Medicare reimbursements are linked to quality metrics; that is, where outcomes are measured. Private insurance companies are following suit. This indicates that evidence-based protocols will become the norm in medical care.

Instructions

• 1

  Choose the issue to base the protocol on. According to OANDP.com, practitioners should develop protocols for conditions that are treated often though not very consistently. Appoint a group of practitioners to develop the protocol, and agree to meet at regular intervals. Examine the current practice of your own organization first. This should involve an exploration of what your patients tell you and what you see when treating them. Highlight any inconsistencies of approach and the problems that exist at the moment.

• 2

  Study all the available literature and research findings on the issue. Check that any studies have been peer reviewed and that any research findings have not been discredited or disproved. Consult experts where there is uncertainty in the literature. Write down a protocol based on your findings. Make all practitioners aware of the protocol, and be open to comment. Agree to regular reviews.

• 3

  Meet at set intervals to discuss the implementation of the protocol, and if necessary to tweak it. Include a degree of flexibility based on practitioners' clinical judgment. Ask any practitioner to document any occasion she deviates from the protocol and the reason. If a pattern emerges, this might draw attention to an element of the protocol that is not working. Measure outcomes by comparing statistics within your own organization and also with national figures.