The broad, long-term objective of this proposal is to facilitate the practice of evidence-based health care (EBH) among complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners. Northwestern Health Sciences University (NWHSU) is one of the largest accredited CAM educational institutions in the Midwestern United States and home to chiropractic, massage therapy, and acupuncture/Oriental medicine educational programs. Through collaboration with an experienced educational team from the University of Minnesota, this project will allow NWHSU to apply EBH and information management (IM) to CAM educational and clinical settings. This project has the following specific aims: 1. To develop and implement a research curriculum to enhance CAM students'evidence-based healthcare (EBH) and information management (IM) skills. 2. To design and implement a faculty development program that will develop faculty's EBH and IM skills, engage them in integrating EBH/IM throughout the curricula and provide them with innovative tools to model and teach EBH and IM. 3. To design and implement a post-graduate training program for CAM field practitioners that will facilitate their ability to practice EBH and IM. 4. To provide CAM faculty, students, and practitioners a range of practical experiences that will allow them to exercise their EBH and IM skills and stimulate interest in participating in clinical research. 5. To assess the proposed research training programs through systematic measurement of learners'knowledge, attitudes, and behavior using quantitative and qualitative outcomes. The proposed project will affect a large number of CAM practitioners, both future and present, through the integration of EBH/IM in all three of NWHSU's CAM educational programs. This will facilitate the practice of integrated care, enhancing CAM practitioners'ability to provide services that are knowledge-based, effective, interdisciplinary, collaborative, and patient-centered.
| Evans, Roni; Vihstadt, Corrie; Westrom, Kristine et al. (2015) Complementary and Integrative Healthcare in a Long-term Care Facility: A Pilot Project. Glob Adv Health Med 4:18-27 |
| Long, Cynthia R; Ackerman, Deborah L; Hammerschlag, Richard et al. (2014) Faculty development initiatives to advance research literacy and evidence-based practice at CAM academic institutions. J Altern Complement Med 20:563-70 |
| Evans, Roni; Maiers, Michele; Delagran, Louise et al. (2012) Evidence informed practice as the catalyst for culture change in CAM. Explore (NY) 8:68-72 |
| Taylor, Barry; Delagran, Louise; Baldwin, Lori et al. (2011) Advancing integration through evidence informed practice: Northwestern Health Sciences University's integrated educational model. Explore (NY) 7:396-400 |
| Evans, Roni; Delagran, Louise; Maiers, Michele et al. (2011) Advancing evidence informed practice through faculty development: the Northwestern Health Sciences University model. Explore (NY) 7:265-8 |
