Critical next steps in developing evidence-based management of health care organizations.

摘要

The transition to an evidence base for knowledge is a trend in modern thought and has yielded significant returns as a method for both the acquisition and retention of knowledge in the physical and biological sciences, economics, and astronomy. Most recently, medicine has made significant progress toward developing an evidence base evaluating empirical studies of comparative effectiveness. Advocates are now introducing a similar approach to hospital management that is rapidly gaining adoption and support. Hence, the authors of Evidence-Based Management in Health Care Organizations: A Cautionary Note (Arndt & Bigelow, 2009) should be applauded for their timely contribution to raising critical issues in how to advance the field of evidence-based management (EBMgt) in health care organizations (HCOs) while the evidence base is still in the early stages of evolution. At this point, such criticisms should be raised because they help inform plans for systematically analyzing, disseminating, and applying management evidence.