RAND REACH Center

Rand Corporation, Santa Monica CA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

Summary All complementary and integrative healthcare (CIH) educational programs include both bioethics and Evidence-Informed Practice (EIP) as part of their curriculum. However, they are not taught in tandem. A strong bioethical case can be made that practicing EIP has a bioethical basis in that all patients, under bioethical principles such as beneficence, have the right and the expectation to be treated with therapies that are evidence informed. This also pertains to the bioethical principles of non-maleficence, veracity, autonomy, fidelity and justice – each would imply that the EIP does not violate these principles. Yet to implement EIP, a health professional must be able to determine the validity, reliability, appropriateness, robustness and safety of the therapy for which the evidence has been collected. That in turn requires a basic level of literacy in research methods. While it is impractical to expect all healthcare providers to possess the research literacy of trained researchers, a certain level of understanding is essential for them to evaluate the relevance of evidence to their patients; thus, EIP becomes not only a necessity but also a bioethical obligation. This proposal is for a one-year supplement to the NCCIH U24-supported RAND Research Across Complementary and Integrative Health Institutions (REACH) Center, in response to the NIH NOSI Administrative Supplement for Research and Capacity Building Efforts Related to Bioethical Issues. The proposed project focuses on capacity building in bioethics. Specifically, we would develop and disseminate a Virtual Training Program on the Bioethical Basis for EIP, targeting faculty, researchers, and students at RAND REACH member institutions as well as practicing professionals through Continuing Education (CE)-eligible training. The program will address the dual challenges of bioethical practice and EIP adoption. CE programs will be used as an efficient way of implementing the objective of this project into the wide practicing community. The training program will consist of 10 virtual modules focused on the bioethical dilemmas involved in determining EIP across the range of evidence-producing methods. The relevance and quality of the modules will be enhanced through input from a Bioethics/EIP Working Group comprising CIH clinician scientists and practitioners. The virtual program will be offered free of charge and distributed through CIH educational institutions (including those not currently RAND REACH members), enabling them to incorporate it into their curriculum and CE offerings. Accreditation for CE credits will serve as an implementation strategy to encourage widespread adoption among those in practice.