The Australian journal of rural health
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Aust J Rural Health · Apr 2012
Review'Making evidence count': a framework to monitor the impact of health services research.
The objective of this study is to develop a framework to measure the impact of primary health care research, describe how it could be used and propose a method for its validation. ⋯ In order to ensure relevance to policy and practice and to provide accountability for funding, it is essential that the impact of health services research is measured and monitored over time. Our framework draws upon previously published literature regarding specific measures of research impact. We organise this information according to the main area of impact (i.e. research related, policy, service and societal) and whether the impact originated with the researcher (i.e. producer push) or the end-user (i.e. user pull). We propose to test the utility of the framework by recording and monitoring the impact of our own research and that of other groups of primary health care researchers.
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Aust J Rural Health · Apr 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyDo clinical pathways enhance access to evidence-based acute myocardial infarction treatment in rural emergency departments?
The objective of this study is to measure the impact of a five-step implementation process for an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) clinical pathway (CPW) on thrombolytic administration in rural emergency departments. ⋯ The lack of impact of the implementation process for a chest pain CPW on thrombolytic delivery or time to electrocardiogram in these rural hospitals can be explained by a ceiling effect in outcome measures but was also compromised by the small sample. Results suggest that quality of AMI treatment in rural emergency departments (EDs) is high and does not contribute to the worse mortality rate reported for AMIs in rural areas.