Table 3 Case example of a recent evidence summary

Context

Acute care hospital (The Ottawa Hospital) TQH

Problem

Overcrowding in the emergency room

Knowledge users

Senior hospital management

Question of interest

What is the safety and effectiveness of short stay units in the emergency department?

Evidence summary process

• The principal knowledge user was integrally involved in Steps 1 through 3 (Needs assessment; Question development and refinement; Proposal development and approval)

• A clinical expert provided key conceptual feedback during Steps 1 and 2 and contributed to the writing of the proposal (Step 3)

• The information scientist developed and executed the search strategy (Step 4)

• The clinical expert also served as the reviewer for Step 5, along with the research coordinator

• Steps 6-7 were completed by the research coordinator; the final report was edited and approved by the principal knowledge user and clinical expert^a

• The principal knowledge user distributed the evidence summary (Figure 1) to TOH senior hospital management and the wider clinical team; follow-up with knowledge users (Step 8) is ongoing.

Outputs

• Positive response to the evidence summary among both the clinical and senior management teams; the evidence summary is being used to inform discussions considering the implementation of a short stay unit

• Development of a positive collaborative relationship between the research team and knowledge users has led to the decision to pursue a collaborative knowledge synthesis opportunity on this topic.