The Patient as Partner in Evidence-Based Practice course for GPs

In this session, you will learn how to translate evidence from research to clinical practice, assessing the relevance of general findings to an individual, and communicating effectively to arrive at shared decisions. This session was reviewed by Matthew Castleden and last updated in March 2015.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Assess the relevance of evidence from studies for an individual patient
• Explain to a patient the likely benefits and harms of an intervention in appropriate language
• Recognise the importance of acknowledging the patient’s ideas, expectations and concerns
• Arrive at shared decisions with a patient incorporating all of the above

Research evidence tells us about groups of people. However, when we come to treat individuals, we need to consider how closely our patients match those in the studies.