Effects of an Evidence Service on Health System Policymakers' Use of Research Evidence

NCT01307228 | Withdrawn

• 1 other identifier: HHS/FHS REB 10-267
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: N/A
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The investigators have developed an online database called 'Health Systems Evidence,' which contains synthesized research evidence and additional details about this evidence that can make it easier for health system policymakers to use the included research evidence. The investigators have also developed an e-mail alerting service that brings to the attention of health system policymakers any new additions to Health Systems Evidence. This study will evaluate whether a "full-serve" version of Health Systems Evidence increases the use of research evidence by policy analysts and advisors in the Ontario government as compared to a "self-serve" version. The "full-serve" version comprises: 1) access to Health Systems Evidence; 2) monthly e-mail alerts about new additions to Health Systems Evidence; and 3) access to full-text articles that are cited in Health Systems Evidence. The "self-serve" version only provides access to Health Systems Evidence. The investigators will also interview study participants to obtain feedback about Health Systems Evidence, including how helpful it was in their work, why it was helpful (or not helpful), what aspects were most and least helpful and why, and recommendations for improving it.

Conditions

Use of Research Evidence

Keywords

Knowledge translation; Policymakers; Health systems

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• number of logins/month/participant

  The investigators will track utilization of the evidence service by calculating the mean number of logins/month/participant

  10 months

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Intention to use research evidence

  Baseline and follow-up (after delivery of 6-month intervention)

Study Arms (2)

Full-serve evidence service

EXPERIMENTAL

The "full-serve" evidence service consists of: 1. database (Health Systems Evidence) access; 2. monthly e-mail alerts; and 3. full-text article availability.

Other: Health Systems Evidence

Self-serve evidence service

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants allocated to the "self-serve" evidence service will receive only database access, which is already publicly available at www.healthsystemsevidence.org

Other: Health Systems Evidence

Interventions

Health Systems Evidence OTHER

Health Systems Evidence (HSE) contains over 1400 research syntheses about governance, financial and delivery arrangements within health systems and about implementation strategies relevant to health systems. The syntheses have been: 1) categorized by topic, type of synthesis, and type of question addressed; 2) coded by the last year in which searches for studies were conducted and by the countries in which included studies were conducted; 3) rated for quality; and 4) linked to publicly available user-friendly summaries, scientific abstracts, and full-text reviews. We identified systematic reviews in HSE that are not accessible to study participants and developed a mechanism to reimburse publishers for full-text downloads of these reviews.

Full-serve evidence service; Self-serve evidence service

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• All policy analysts and policy advisors from one purposively selected division of one Canadian provincial Ministry of Health.

You may not qualify if:

• None

Sponsors & Collaborators

• McMaster University: lead
• Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

McMaster Health Forum Impact Lab

Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4K1, Canada

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Lavis JN, Wilson MG, Grimshaw JM, Haynes RB, Hanna S, Raina P, Gruen R, Ouimet M. Effects of an evidence service on health-system policy makers' use of research evidence: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Implement Sci. 2011 May 27;6:51. doi: 10.1186/1748-5908-6-51.

  PMID: 21619621 DERIVED

Study Officials

• John N Lavis, MD, PhD

  McMaster University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor, Department of Health Evidence and Impact

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 28, 2011
• First Posted: March 2, 2011
• Study Start: December 1, 2010
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2011
• Study Completion: February 1, 2013
• Last Updated: March 23, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)