Frequently Asked Questions

What is Rx for Change?

Rx for Change is a database of current research evidence about the effects of strategies to promote changes in health care. It summarizes the key findings from systematic reviews, with two main areas of focus:

• interventions directed to professionals
• interventions directed to consumers.

By making key findings easily accessible to users, Rx for Change aids decision-makers in selecting the best strategy for implementing change.

What is the purpose of Rx for Change?

The Rx for Change database was created to facilitate searching, finding, and using research about interventions intended to promote changes in health care. The database intends to improve the prescribing practice and use of drugs and other health technologies.

Who can access the database?

The Rx for Change database is publicly accessible and free to use.

Is the information in the database current?

The database is updated regularly to reflect accumulating and changing evidence. It was initially released in April 2007, with reviews to March 2006.  

Watch the CADTH Communiqué for details about the updates to this database.

How often is the database updated? Who decides what changes are made to the database?

Meetings are held approximately twice annually to review the database and discuss potential updates. Rx for Change collaborative partners work on updates to the database which, when finalized, are hosted on the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) website.

Who is involved in the Rx for Change collaboration? How can I get involved to provide input?

The following partners make up the current Rx for Change collaboration:

• Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (www.cadth.ca)
• Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (www.epoc.cochrane.org)
• Cochrane Consumers and Communication Review Group (www.latrobe.edu.au/chcp/cochrane)
• National Prescribing Service Ltd. (www.nps.org.au/)
• Knowledge Translation Canada (www.ktclearinghouse.ca/ktcanada)
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca).

The Rx for Change team is always looking for new partners to join the collaboration. As a contributing partner you would be a part of the Rx for Change Steering Committee charged with guiding the development of the database. If you are interested in becoming a partner in Rx for Change, please email requests@cadth.ca.

What level of evidence can I find in the Rx for Change database?

Interventions to improve health technology prescribing, practice, and use are organized into easy-to-browse categories:

• Professional
• Consumer
• Organizational
• Financial
• Regulatory.

For each intervention, there is an overall summary of its effects based on the evidence from systematic reviews, with summaries of the individual reviews also available. Each review is quality-assessed and summarized to highlight key characteristics and evidence relevant to decision-making, with links to the individual studies included in the review.

For more information about the methods used in the design and set-up of the database, go to Methods for Development.

Whom can I contact with questions?

Please email requests@cadth.ca.