Delivering Value Through Evidence-Based Practice

Unwanted variation in care is a challenge to high-quality care delivery in any healthcare system. Across the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) continuum, there is wide variation in care delivery for which best practices have demonstrated opportunities to minimize that variation through clinical standards (evidence-based pathways, protocols, and guidelines for care). A model of development of clinical standards is delineated and tools used in that process are described. Implementation strategies for improving utilization are also described with clinical decision support tools being a promising strategy for accelerating uptake of guidelines. Critical to implementing guidelines through improvement science strategies is the ability to make iterative improvements directed by data and analytics. The progression of sophistication in a system's informatics and analytics capabilities is driven by a maturity of data reporting to analytics that drives decision support for implementing clinical standards. Integration of financial data into the clinical standards processes and analytics platforms is necessary to determine value of the work. Within the EMSC continuum, a number of initiatives will drive national clinical standards activities and are fueled by current pockets of successful development and implementation activities within organizations and systems.