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Briefing: translating clinical research into practice

Evidence Based Care

The Government should work to encourage doctors to adopt evidence-based approaches to cancer treatments. Although in individual cases it may sometimes not be appropriate that a treatment follows general best practice recommendations, it is important that physicians are fully informed of what current best practice is.

The existing prescribing variations of National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) approved drugs may be influenced in part by physician perception of a particular intervention. It seems probable that increasing financial pressure discourages doctors from prescribing expensive treatments. The Healthcare Commission's commitment to monitor the implementation of national guidance is a positive step towards improving equality in access to cancer drugs.

The role of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence

Given their role in producing recommendations for care across the UK, and that a positive appraisal from The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) conveys an obligation to provide funding for that treatment, NICE should be provided with sufficient resources to make its evidence-based guidelines available in the shortest possible time.

The increasing engagement of NICE and other regulatory bodies in the promotion of implementation of national guidance is welcomed. However, it is important to carefully monitor the effectiveness of these schemes. The Department of Health should be required to produce a rationale for each intervention under investigation, explaining the process by which these drugs are chosen and prioritised for appraisal by NICE.

Training in research methodology

Training in understanding research results and their impact on clinical practice is important for a flexible and well-educated healthcare workforce.

Professionals working in clinical medicine need to be properly trained to interpret research findings, enabling them to make informed judgments about the potential benefit of the latest research results on their clinical practice.