Annual Program Report 2004 - American International Health Alliance

LRCs Contribute to Evidence-based
Decision-making: An Example from
Moldova
Learning Resource Centers play an important role
in improving healthcare quality by supporting evidence-based
decision-making. In 2004, in an effort
to overcome the old scourge of overmedication, the
staff of the Cardiosurgery Center at the Republican
Clinical Hospital in Chisinau, Moldova, evaluated
patterns of drug usage for surgical and post-surgical
prophylaxis. After reviewing the evidence-based
literature, clinicians reduced the number of antibiotics
used in routine surgical procedures from three
to one. They standardized the culture and sensitivity
tests for determining appropriate drug treatment
for postoperative complications. In the six
months following the implementation of the new
procedure, the Center observed a noticeable
decrease in the number of complications and a
reduction in the average hospital length of stay. In
addition to better patient care, the changes resulted
in cost savings for the hospital.
EurasiaHealth Knowledge Network
Usage Doubles in 2004
Use of the EurasiaHealth Knowledge Network, a
Web-based clearinghouse of health and medical
information in Russian and other Eurasian languages,
more than doubled during 2004, from
4,200 to 10,700 visits per month. The increase is
due in part to the visibility generated by information
bulletins EurasiaHealth began producing this
year. These include the “Free Resources Bulletin”
and the “Guide to Electronic Libraries,” which
inform health professionals in developing countries
how to obtain free books, CD-ROMs and
access to on-line health and medical journals.
Several Web sites and print journals reprinted
issues of these bulletins. Activities of the specialized
EurasiaHealth HIV/AIDS Knowledge Library
are described in the section on HIV/AIDS.
Evidence-based Medicine Distance
Learning Course
In April, AIHA conducted the first of three iterations
of a new distance learning course on the
basics of evidence-based medicine and critical
appraisal of scientific literature. The course is
designed to teach participants how to formulate
“answerable” clinical questions, identify the best
sources of evidence for each type of question, and
appraise publications on validity, reliability and
applicability. The four-week course was offered
twice in Russian and once in English. Altogether,
135 individuals from Eurasia and Africa attended
the course. In the post-test self-assessments, participants
showed increased knowledge in identifying
relevant sources of evidence, devising search strategies,
using critical appraisal tools and introducing
evidence-based principles in their area of practice.
Books, electronic databases and computer software are a part of the Standard Learning Resource Center Equipment and
Resources package.
Photo: Frances Greene
24 American International Health Alliance