[e-drug] Symposium on evidence-informed decisions about healthcare systems

["Kirsten Myhr" <myhr@online.no>]

E-DRUG: Symposium on evidence-informed decisions about healthcare
systems
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This might be of interest to E-druggers in or close to Norway in
November, or who would like to participate anyway. Please do not respond to E-Drug or me but to Aud Urdahl.

Supporting evidence-informed decisions about healthcare systems in low
and middle-income countries

http://www.kunnskapssenteret.no/index.php?artikkelid=592&back=1

Launch of the Oslo Satellite of the Cochrane Effective Practice and
Organisation of Care Group (EPOC)
November 10, 2006
08:00 - 17:00 

Policy makers and managers need information that is relevant, reliable
and accessible to make informed decisions about healthcare systems.
Information about the effects of different ways of organising,
financing, regulating and ensuring the quality of healthcare systems are
essential for making informed decisions. 

Systematic reviews are the best source of information about the effects
of different options, but they are often not available, up-to date or
easily accessible to decision makers. 

All healthcare systems have limited resources. In low and middle-income
countries (LMIC), where resources are more limited, it is more important
to use these resources as effectively, efficiently and equitably as
possible.

The Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC)
satellite in Oslo will focus on supporting the production and updating
of Cochrane reviews that address health systems questions that are
relevant to LMIC.

The focus of this seminar, which marks the launch of the Oslo EPOC
satellite, will be on efforts to address the needs of decision makers in
LMIC for up-to-date, high quality reviews. The seminar will be informal
with ample time for discussion.

08:00 Welcome and introductions
Chair: Dr Signe Flottorp (Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health
Services, Norway)

. Prof Knut-Inge Klepp (University of Oslo, Norway): The Centre for
Prevention of Global Infections (GLOBINF)
. Prof Jimmy Volmink (University of Stellenbosch, South Africa): The
Cochrane Collaboration
. Prof Jeremy Grimshaw (University of Ottawa, Canada): The Cochrane
Effective Practice and Organization of Care Review Group
. Dr Andy Oxman (Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services,
Norway): The Oslo EPOC satellite

Discussion + break
09:30 Initiatives that aim to meet the needs of decision makers in low
and middle-income countries (1)
Chair: John Lavis (McMaster University, Canada)

. Dr Tikki Pang (WHO, Switzerland): The Evidence Informed Policy Network
(EVIPNet)
. Dr Maimunah A. Hamid (Institute for Health Systems Research, Ministry
of Health, Malaysia): EVIPNet Asia
. Prof Nelson Sewankambo (Makerere University Medical School, Uganda):
The Regional East African Community Health (REACH) Policy Initiative
. Prof Paul Garner (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK): Getting
Research into Practice Program (GRIPP)

Discussion + break

11:00 Initiatives that aim to meet the needs of decision makers in low
and middle-income countries (2)
Chair: John Lavis (McMaster University, Canada)

. Prof Meenu Singh (Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and
Research, India): The South Asian Cochrane Network
. Prof Jimmy Volmink (University of Stellenbosch, South Africa): The
South African Cochrane Centre
. Dr Sara Bennett (The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research,
Switzerland): The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research
(AHPSR)
. Prof Don de Savigny (Swiss Tropical Institute, Switzerland):
Systematic reviews for decentralized health planners - WHO Choosing
Interventions that are Cost Effective (CHOICE), UNICEF Marginal
Budgeting for Bottlenecks (MBB), The Tanzania Essential Health
Interventions Project (TEHIP)

Discussion

12:00 Lunch
13:00 Examples of EPOC reviews
Chair: Prof Lisa Bero (University of California, USA)

. Dr Simon Lewin (London School of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, UK): Lay
health workers
. Prof Jimmy Volmink (University of Stellenbosch, South Africa):
Recruiting and maintaining health workers in rural areas
. Drs Natasha Palmer and Mylene Lagarde (London School of Tropical
Medicine & Hygiene, UK): Financial mechanisms for improving access to
health care
. Astrid Dahlgren (Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services,
Norway): Pharmaceutical policies

Discussion + break

14:30 The need for systematic reviews of health system interventions and
policies 
Panel discussion
Chair: Dr Francisco F. Songane, Director, Partnership for Maternal
Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), former MoH, Mozambique

. Dr Maimunah A. Hamid (Institute for Health Systems Research, Ministry
of Health, Malaysia): EVIPNet Asia
. Dr Tayo Lambo (Minister of Health, Nigeria)
. Dr Rodrigo Salinas (Ministry of Health, Chile)
. Prof Nelson Sewankambo (Makerere University Medical School, Uganda)
. Prof Meenu Singh (Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and
Research, India)
. Prof Jimmy Volmink (University of Stellenbosch, South Africa)

Break

16:00 Priorities, funding, capacity & coordination for systematic
reviews of health system interventions and policies + advice to EPOC
Panel discussion:
Chair: Dr Tayo Lambo (Minister of Health, Nigeria)
. Dr Sara Bennett (The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research,
Switzerland)
. Prof Paul Garner (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK)
. Dr Tikki Pang (WHO, Switzerland)
. Paul Fife (Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Norway) 
17:00 Wine and cheese

Practical information
The seminar is free and will be in English. There is limited space and
registration for the seminar is necessary.
Time: Friday, 10 November 2006, 08:00 - 17:00
Place: Auditorium, The Directorate for Health and Social Affairs
Universitetsgaten 2, Oslo
Registration: Aud Urdahl, tlf. 4640 0407, 
email:  aud.urdahl@kunnskapssenteret.no

Hotel 
We have reserved a block of rooms at the Scandic Edderkoppen Hotel. If
you would like a hotel room, please indicate the dates for which you
will need a room when you register for the seminar. The cost is 800 NOK
per night for a single room.

Acknowledgements
Support for the seminar has been provided by The Centre for Prevention
of Global Infections (GLOBINF) and the Norwegian Agency for Development
Cooperation (Norad).
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Posted by
Ms Kirsten Myhr, MScPharm, MPH
Head
RELIS Drug Info and ADR Monitoring Centre
Ulleval University Hospital
0407 OSLO, Norway
Tel: +47 23 01 64 11   Fax: +47 23 01 64 10
kirsten.myhr@relis.ulleval.no
myhr@online.no