Mega ‘Watts’ of energy for evidence-based practice

Professor Robin Watts is the Director of the Western Australian Centre for Evidence Based Nursing and Midwifery (a Collaborating Centre of the Joanna Briggs Institute) and Professor of Nursing at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia. She has to date had a successful and interesting career that has seen her travel all over the world and make a significant contribution to both nursing and evidence-based practice. However, if you met Professor Watts at the start of her career, she says you would have met a young nurse who was, “A very naďve one who by today’s standards didn’t know very much.” Click here for the full story...

2007 Convention, a great global success!

The Joanna Briggs Institute 2007 Biennial International Convention, Pebbles of Knowledge: Evidence for Excellence was recently held the Hyatt Regency Adelaide on the 26-28 November. Click here for the full story...

Shades of Grey:

In health/medical care, non-randomized studies or small single-site/centre trials are often used to evaluate surgical procedures and therapeutic devices or equipment. Such reviews play a key role in informing decisions concerning the application of new procedures or technologies. This is despite the fact that some professionals question whether systematic reviews should be undertaken given the limitations of such research. This article seeks to address the role of grey literature in conducting and interpreting any systematic review that evaluates and assesses the effectiveness of therapeutic devices, etc. Essentially, should grey (or gray) literature be included in systematic reviews of devices or procedures? It must be stated at the outset that while therapeutic devices and surgical procedures vary markedly in their complexity and costs, the issues discussed here are universal in character in spite of the type of procedure or device used. Click here for the full story...