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JBI Evidence Utilisation Network
Current EUN Groups
Austin Health
Royal Adelaide Hospital
Royal Perth Hospital
Thinking globally and acting locally
If you are seeking to establish continuous clinical practice improvement programs in your practice or in your organisation, there is a wealth of experience and knowledge that you can tap into to make the challenge easier and to improve your chances of success. International networking creates opportunities for you to share your experience, benefit from the ideas and experiences of others across the world, and contribute to international efforts to improve global health outcomes through promoting effective and appropriate ways of increasing the quality of health care.
Whether you are excited by CQI - or struggling with CQI - or interested in CQI but not fully involved in it, we invite you to join our global collaborative network of health professionals, health service managers and quality managers in their practical efforts to accomplish best practice.
The Joanna Briggs Institute International Evidence Utilisation Network
The Joanna Briggs Institute International Evidence Utilisation Network links groups of health professionals, health service managers and quality managers from across the world.
Made up of Evidence Utilisation Groups (EUGs), the EU Network makes it possible for health units and health professionals to share their experiences of improving the quality of clinical practice and to engage in truly international clinical audit and clinical benchmarking, based on the principles of evidence based practice.
What are Evidence Utilisation Groups (EUGs)?
EUGs are made up of clinicians, quality managers or other personnel who wish to be part of a global network of people and organisations committed to clinical practice improvement. These groups are self-governing and self-funding partners who accept the terms of the JBI EUG Letter of Agreement.
Groups must consist of at least three members who are experienced in a field of health care or change management. All members must have successfully completed a JBI Evidence Utilisation (PACES) Training Program, and one member of the group must be named as Group Convenor. EUGs conduct Evidence Utilisation Projects following the JBI PACES approach.
Groups may benefit from being part of the Network in many ways, including:
- Evidence Utilisation Groups are officially and publicly recognised as entities of the Joanna Briggs Institute International Evidence Utilisation Network
- Evidence Utilisation Group members are eligible to apply to become a Joanna Briggs Institute Affiliate
The Joanna Briggs Institute confers the title of Affiliate on persons who are not members of staff of the Joanna Briggs Institute and who participate in evidence reviews, program development, teaching or research. JBI Affiliates are entitled to use the title conferred and receive the following benefits:
- Electronic subscription to the International Journal of Evidence-based Health Care (formerly JBI Reports) published by Blackwell Publishing during the term of appointment
- Electronic access to Evidence in Health Care Reports
- Open access to all Best Practice Information Sheets through the Institute's Web page; and
- Access to view the RAPid library Database
- Evidence Utilisation Group members have access to a 30 per cent discount for all Joanna Briggs Institute resources and training programs
- Evidence Utilisation Groups are provided with a web presence within the Joanna Briggs Institute web site at http://www.joannabriggs.edu.au
- Utilisation Project Reports produced by the Evidence Utilisation Group are (subject to blind peer review) published in The International Journal of Evidence Based Healthcare a JBI Report published by Blackwell Publishing; or in Evidence in Health Care Reports published by JBI.
Establishing an Evidence Utilisation Group
JBI may approve the establishment of an EUG by a suitable group, which must include strong professional leadership and evidence of professional practice experience. A Group approved by JBI is required to sign a Letter of Agreement.
It is then able to access the resources of The Joanna Briggs Institute, and to be publicly known as the, "(Name) JBI Evidence Utilisation Group". An Evidence Utilisation Group is required to:
- participate in the peer review process of no less than one Joanna Briggs Institute Utilisation Project Report per year; and
- conduct no less than one Joanna Briggs Institute Utilisation Project every two years.
JBI Evidence Utilisation Network Meetings
The JBI Evidence Utilisation Network meets every two years at the Joanna Briggs Institute EBHC Convention. The meeting includes opportunities for:
- networking; updates on evidence utilisation and CQI
- JBI PACES methodology developments
- free-paper presentations by Groups; and
- a business meeting to discuss matters related to the governance and activities of the network.
Application Process
Formal applications are submitted on the prescribed application form to the Executive Director and must include:
- The name and Curriculum Vitae (CV) of the proposed Evidence Utilisation Group Convenor (including evidence of having completed or of registration to participate in a JBI PACES Training Program); and
- A detailed plan for an utilisation project program for two years including proposed target review topics.
Applications should be forwarded to Tiffany Conroy. Email: tiffany.conroy@adelaide.edu.au
The Evidence Utilisation Group Application Form can be downloaded here.
Evidence utilisation, best practice and continuous improvement
Contemporary approaches to the delivery of health care focus on developing and using frameworks that identify "best practice" and facilitate their use through audit, quality management systems and decision support for clinicians and managers, in their quality improvement role. "Best outcomes" for patients and clients are achieved by:
- nurses, physicians and allied health professionals engaging in a comprehensive, ongoing assessment of a resident's need
- constructing and continually evaluating and updating comprehensive plans or strategies based on the needs identified in assessment
- delivering care interventions that are justifiable in terms of international evidence of their feasibility, appropriateness, meaningfulness, effectiveness and cost benefit
- embedding the concept of "best practice" within the every day culture; and
- establishing systems that support these approaches and are consistent with a commitment to leadership, evaluation and continuous quality improvement.
The pursuit of quality involves self-assessment by practitioners and organisations of all of their activities, interventions and operations as a basis for planning and implementing strategies for improvement.
Evidence-based practice is the foundation of best practice and continuous quality improvement (CQI). The clinical CQI process provides a framework for health services and practitioners to audit and improve the quality of direct clinical care.
Significant to this approach is the need for all practitioners to be actively and explicitly making judgements about how to achieve the best outcomes for patients or clients, and to be making clinical decisions that are based on the best available knowledge.
Quality improvement from a systems/management perspective involves the self-assessment by each organisation of all aspects of its operations to enable it to plan and implement strategies for improvement. This cycle must be continuous and standards or quality audits are conducted to look for evidence that strategies for improvement are in place. Most health care providers have implemented processes of this kind.
However, it is not uncommon for even the most effective organisations to concentrate on "best practice" in terms of the systems, management processes and documentation in place within the organisation and to overlook the central role of "best practice" in terms of the professional practice of medical, nursing and allied health professionals.
A commitment to "best practice" is fundamentally related to the identification of the best available evidence on the feasibility, appropriateness, meaningfulness and effectiveness of interventions and care practices. It should be ensured that this evidence is accessible to those who plan and implement care to support the decisions they make in partnership with patients, their families and members of the multi-disciplinary team.
Establishing and maintaining evidence-based practice requires a continuous review of evidence and the production and dissemination of condensed information for practice to nurses, doctors and allied health professionals.
'Best Practice'
Best practice means engaging in practices that are based on the best available evidence. Best practice in terms of systems frequently involves 'benchmarking' between similar organisations. Best practice in terms of professional practice involves benchmarking between similar practice fields, but more importantly it involves benchmarking against international evidence generated through research or evidence-based practice.
Continuous quality improvement and best practice
Continuous improvement in clinical practice is an on-going process that aims at achieving best practice. The Joanna Briggs continuous improvement program is based on two global, on-line programs - JBI PACES (the Joanna Briggs Institute Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System) and JBI POOL (Joanna Briggs Institute Patients Outcomes On Line).
JBI PACES
JBI PACES - the Joanna Briggs Institute Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System - is an on-line CQI tool that drastically cuts the time it takes hospitals and health care agencies to conduct continuous improvement programs.
Whether the organisation is large or small, the PACES program may be adapted and play a key role in its standard primary objective ... to implement best practice to achieve better outcomes for patients or clients. PACES includes access to a detailed user guide and training modules.
Are You and Your Team Serious about Clinical Practice Improvement?
Contact the Joanna Briggs Institute to find out about JBI-PACES Training Programs and the International Evidence Utilisation Network and Evidence Utilisation Groups. If you are already trained in, and using, JBI PACES and JBI POOL and are ready to become an EUG, download and complete the EUG Application Form and mail it to us.
The Joanna Briggs Institute
Royal Adelaide Hospital
North Terrace
Adelaide
South Australia
AUSTRALIA 5000