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Editorial: Assessing the evidence

In this era of evidence-based practice, people obviously need to be able to easily access the evidence on which to base their practice. As asserted in the Australian Government Budget Portfolio statements 06-07 “The community relies on primary care to … provide quality, evidence-based management of health problems”.¹

Hence it is concerning that many primary care providers are not able to access the evidence they need to do this, particularly when it comes to peer review journal articles. Yes, the Government has made the Cochrane Library databases² freely available to all Australians, and many peer review articles are now available in full text as more journals become freely available via open access eg the Medical Journal of Australia, and the Australian Family Physician. However, there are other journals of equal relevance that are not part of this realm. Access to these journals is usually only available to staff and students of universities or hospitals through their libraries. Some professional primary care organisations (eg. RACGP) provide a service for their members to provide them with requested journal articles. But we are aware that some people, for example non-medical staff in Divisions of General Practice, cannot read many of the articles we include in the PHC RIS eBulletin each week, as they do not have this access except by paying for each article.

The current [very] ad hoc arrangements Divisional officers make to access their literature are inadequate for the future roles that Divisions are assuming. Divisions are making use of staff members who are eligible to use hospital or university libraries through being students or staff. Tacit endorsement of such arrangements may not be legally defensible.

We still need to increase the rate at which primary care providers take up research conclusions, something that can be enhanced if all primary care providers and their organisations had better access to the evidence. Your suggestions for providing this access are very welcome.
E: phcris@flinders.edu.au

1. p95, www.health.gov.au/internet/budget/publishing.nsf/Content/budget2006-portfoliobudgetstatements.htm
2. www.nhmrc.gov.au/nics/