Author Archives: Sheri Strite, Co-author of Basics for Evaluating Medical Research Studies: A Simplified Approach

Delfini Treatment Messaging Scripts™ Update

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 Messaging Scripts ™ Update

Delfini Messaging Scripts ™ are scripts for scripts. Years ago we were asked by a consultancy pharmacy to come up with a method to create concise evidence-based statements for various therapies.  That’s how we came up with our ideas for Messaging Scripts, which are targeted treatment messaging & decision support tools for specific clinical topics. Since working with that group, we created a template and some sample scripts which have been favorably received wherever we have shown them.  The template is available at the link below, along with several samples.  Samples recently updated: Ace Inhibitors, Alendronate, Sciatica (Low Back Pain), Statins (two scripts) and Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Prevention in Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement.

 http://www.delfini.org/page_SamePage_RxMessagingScripts.htm

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Critical Appraisal Matters

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Critical Appraisal Matters

Mike and I make it a practice to study the evidence on the evidence.  Doing effective critical appraisal to evaluate the validity and clinical usefulness of studies makes a difference.  This page on our website may be our most important one and we have now added a 1-page fact sheet for downloading: http://www.delfini.org/delfiniFactsCriticalAppraisal.htm

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Critical Appraisal Matters

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Critical Appraisal Matters

Most of us know that there is much variation in healthcare that is not explained by patient preference, differences in disease incidence or resource availability. We think that many of the healthcare quality problems with overuse, underuse, misuse, waste, patient harms and more stems from a broad lack of understanding by healthcare decision-makers about  what constitutes solid clinical research.

We think it’s worth visiting (or revisiting) our webpage on “Why Critical Appraisal Matters.”

http://www.delfini.org/delfiniFactsCriticalAppraisal.htm

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How Do We Heal Medicine: TED Talk by Atul Gawande

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How Do We Heal Medicine: TED Talk by Atul Gawande

Mike and I liked this 20-minute talk.  There are some learnings here about how medical practice has changed, problem-solving, systems thinking, implementation and about cowboys!  Complexity requires group success, Gawande tells us, and making systems work is the great task of our generation (although we would amend that and say it is the work of us all).

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ted.com%2Ftalks%2
Fatul_gawande_how_do_we_heal_medicine.html&h=
TAQEorNBKAQGe5994XRttGHDb9_5s5QZx_IX8CcA2KZO6fQ

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Advice On Some Quasi-Experimental Alternatives To Randomization

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Advice On Some Quasi-Experimental Alternatives To Randomization

We have found a lot of help over the years in reading the advice and postings of statistician, Dr. Steve Simon.  Here’s an entry in which he discusses some considerations when dealing with quasi-experimental designs.  You can sign up for his newsletter to receive it directly.  (Note: if you keep reading to the next entry about how much in practice is estimated to be evidence-based, we suspect that the reported percent might be inflated if the reviewers were not applying a solid critical appraisal approach.)  You can read Steve’s advice about quasi-experimental design considerations here:

http://www.pmean.com/news/201201.html#1

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Class Effect? Caution Urged!

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Class Effect? Caution Urged!

A recent chat with a colleague the other day resulted in a discussion about class effect.  Should evidence-based proof of drug efficacy be extrapolated to a “class of agents?” We think it is risky to do so.  Our biologics safety review is one example.  Read more from our archives at DelfiniClick™: Class Effect—Caution Urged.

http://www.delfini.org/delfiniClick_QI.htm#substitution

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Happy Valentine’s! A New Delfini Day Dawns & A Treat For You!

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Our Blog
This is the official announcement of our blog!  We are in the midst of moving to a social media-mode.  Go to our website to get just-in-time updates to our blog and website as we dip our toes in these waters that are new for us…on a trial basis, FYI…we need to hear that you are using this information and sharing it to warrant our efforts. It’s a lotta work for us to keep all of this up!  Follow us on Twitter (easy instructions at our website to get just-in-time updates…next entry will be next Thursday, 2/16/2012).

Our Website
And we are retooling our website.  We are in the midst of this gargantuan effort.  (We have a very big site!  Whew!)  But we hope access will be even easier because of our changes.  Key pages have been converted, but many have not yet been, so page-to-page will look a little chaotic and not function the same until we are done: www.delfini.org.

Your Treat
And now, for a fantastic treat!  The generous, creative and brilliant Paul Vallett, PhC, had a frustrating day one day in his lab, and while we would never wish him that, we are grateful for his transmogrifying that evil event into something brilliant and wonderful that sooooo exquisitely captures what life often looks like on the outside, but what insiders actually experience and know.  We’ve all been here, right!!?!?? (Oh, yeah, like my web site redesign! It’s no cut-and-paste job.  I am now as bald as Mike!)  Paul’s is about one of our most beloved topics, “Doing Science,” but it can stand in as metaphor to so much more…to.so.much.more…  And it is hilarious!!!  The URL title gives you a hint.  Thank you, Paul!  Happy Day all, Sheri

http://electroncafe.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/scientific-process-rage/

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GLIDE Patient Encounter Map

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GLIDE Patient Encounter Map

It isn’t something new, but as a recent patient, I was reminded of our Patient Encounter Map tool. Most people know us for our work in medical science, but our reach is the expanse of clinical care improvement, and effective communications with patients is of the utmost importance in caring for them. Our GLIDE strategy was promoted by the late and wonderful Dr. John Coombs of the University of Washington as an effective way to help patients: Greet . Listen . Inquire and Exchange Information . Determine and Decide . Effectively End. Happy Holidays, all!

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