EHC Issues Two New Resources
Per the notice below, the Effective Health Care (EHC) program has issued two new resources.
Rapid Reviews Now Available
Making Healthcare Safer IV: Programs for Responding to Harms Experienced by Patients During Clinical Care
(Rapid Review, released on April 2, 2025)
This rapid review synthesizes the current literature on the effectiveness of programs used by healthcare organizations to respond after patients experience harm during their care. We focused on communication and resolution programs that included communication with the patient and family, event review, quality improvement, and in a qualifying subset of events, an apology for causing harm and an offer of compensation.
Opportunity to Comment on Draft Reports
We encourage the public to participate in the development of our research projects. Comments can be submitted for:
Living Systematic Review on Cannabis and Other Plant-Based Treatments for Chronic Pain: 2025 Update
(Available for comment until May 5, 2025)
The purpose of the systematic review is to evaluate the evidence on benefits and harms of cannabinoids and similar plant-based substances (e.g., kratom) to treat chronic or subacute pain on an ongoing basis.
About us: The Effective Health Care Program is committed to providing the best available evidence on the outcomes, benefits and harms, and appropriateness of drugs, devices, and health care services and by helping health care professionals, patients, policymakers, and health care systems make informed health care decisions. The program partners with research centers, academic institutions, health professional societies, consumer organizations, and other stakeholders to conduct research, evidence synthesis, evidence translation, dissemination, and implementation of research findings.
To learn more: https://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/. Contact us at: epc@ahrq.hhs.gov.
