Uniting evidence and practice in Neuroscience
This article originally appeared on LinkedIn on June 27 2022
Sometimes research and practice can feel like two different worlds. Right now, my team are in Vienna at the 8th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) exploring how we can ‘get evidence into practice’. It’s a popular topic in neuroscience this year and EAN is a fantastic opportunity to continue conversations that were started at the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) and American Psychiatric Association (APA) congresses. Although EAN focuses on neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease, rather than the neuropsychiatric conditions that were centre stage at EPA and APA, the solutions to bridge the divide between scientific discovery and everyday clinical work are extremely similar.
Connecting with the minds behind the data is a brilliant way to bring facts to life. I know from my own experience that using evidence in neuroscience practice improves patient outcomes and can save lives. Research shows that health care professionals who provide evidence-based care have patients that stay in hospital for less time, and doctors who incorporate evidence into their work with patients can attend up to twice as many patients as those who don’t.[1]
In my opinion, digging into the science gives us an attitude of inquiry as health professionals. It encourages us to think about why we do things the way we do and allows us to discover new evidence that could make an even greater impact on the lives those living with nervous system disorders. Not only that but, by looking beyond our personal subspeciality, there’s a wealth of commonalities and inspiration to be found that we can use to make scientific innovation a reality.
I feel very lucky that my team and I have had the chance to attend such inspiring congresses lately. Let’s continue to work together to continue these conversations and provide evidence-based practice for every patient.
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Reference
- Emparanza J. et al. Does evidence-based practice improve patient outcomes? An analysis of a natural experiment in a Spanish hospital. 2015;21(6):1059-1065