Clinical guidelines

Rachel Yates, The Australian General Practice Network
Jonathon Kruger, The Australian Physiotherapy Association
Jeff Coombes, University of Queensland
Tammy Hoffmann, University of Queensland

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Interim status: Citation only.

Yates, R., Kruger, J., Coombes, J. & Hoffmann, T. (2010). Clinical guidelines. In T. Hoffmann, S. Bennett & C. Del Mar (eds). Evidence-based practice across the health professions (pp. 262-275). Sydney: Elsevier.

Access the publisher's website.

© Copyright Elsevier Australia, 2010

Abstract

Inter-professional education that begins in undergraduate or graduate-entry programs has been accepted by universities as a proven method for fostering collaborative practice among health professionals yet there are few truly multidisciplinary books about evidence-based practice that meet the needs of undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in inter-professional courses.

Evidence-based Practice across the Health Professions is designed to meet this need. It provides the reader with an excellent foundation in the knowledge and skills necessary to perform and understand the implications of evidence-based practice within a healthcare environment. It discusses the critical role of clinical reasoning and includes a range of practical strategies to facilitate shared decision making and effective communication with clients for improved client outcomes.

Evidence-based decision making is common to all professions and provides an ideal platform for multidisciplinary work. With this in mind, to facilitate an understanding of how evidence may be integrated into clinical practice there are a number of chapters that contain worked examples from many different health professions that demonstrate appraisals of the methodological quality and interpretation of results for a number of different methodologies (such as randomised controlled trials, diagnostic studies, cohort studies, and qualitative research). Health professionals from a range of disciplines will benefit from familiarity with the intervention being evaluated, the context of the intervention, and the outcome measures used.

Evidence-based Practice across the Health Professions is of direct relevance to all health profession students and practitioners engaged in client care and in making informed clinical decisions in order to achieve better client outcomes.