COMPUS Communiqué — Vol. 4, No. 11

December 5, 2008

In This Issue

Diabetes Management Topic Area

Blood Glucose Test Strips Topic  ─ Project Protocol

COMPUS is currently working on the Blood Glucose Test Strips project within its Diabetes Management topic area. In order to provide our various audiences with a clear overview of the project, we have posted the Use of Blood Glucose Test Strips for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus – Project Protocol. This protocol outlines the steps involved in the development and implementation of COMPUS products related to blood glucose test strips. To date, COMPUS has received input from a variety of stakeholders on a systematic literature search that identified studies for inclusion in the analysis of clinical data. Next steps include a call for feedback on a systematic review and pharmacoeconomic analyses on the blood glucose test strips.

Insulin Analogues Topic ─ Gaps and Key Messages

COMPUS thanks all participants who provided feedback on the 
Draft Gap Analysis and Key Messages for the Prescribing and Use of Insulin Analogues
 report during the consultation period, which ended October 17, 2008. COMPUS, the COMPUS Expert Review Committee (CERC), and the COMPUS Advisory Committee (CAC) are considering your feedback in the production of the final report, which will be available soon. Your feedback also helps COMPUS develop intervention tools and strategies that are designed to bring these key messages to target audiences and help effect change to optimize the prescribing and use of insulin analogues. This suite of intervention tools will be available early next year.

A Literature Review: Interventions for Optimizing Therapy in Patients with Diabetes

COMPUS has now posted the following report: Interventions for Optimizing Therapy in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: A Literature Review. In preparing this report, COMPUS reviewed evidence-based intervention studies and projects aimed at influencing behaviour in the area of diabetes management. In the report, the interventions have been classified into four main groups: professional, disease management, regulatory, and patient. The preparation of this report is part of the COMPUS process used to develop user-friendly intervention tools designed to promote optimal prescribing and use.

Tools to Support Optimal Therapy Initiatives

Audit and Feedback Guide on Prescribing Practices

To help health care providers, policy makers, and other decision makers implement optimal therapy initiatives and improve prescribing, COMPUS has developed a generic Audit and Feedback Guide on Prescribing Practices: A Guideline for Decision Makers in Canada. The Guide is designed to serve as a useful tool for decision making. Some of the highlights include information on how to evaluate the capacity for audit and feedback, the types of tools and feedback methods available, and a list of practical “things to think about” when testing and implementing audit and feedback mechanisms.

2009 CADTH Symposium — Call for Abstracts

CADTH is pleased to announce that its 2009 Symposium will be held in Ottawa on April 5 to 7, 2009. This year, the Symposium will examine the theme of Evidence, Decisions, Outcomes: Optimizing the Use of Drugs and Health Technologies, and will explore initiatives that help optimize the use of proven health technologies while managing the diffusion of ineffective and inefficient ones. CADTH invites stakeholders to review our Call for abstracts and submit proposals for workshops, panel discussions, and oral and poster presentations. Every year, the CADTH Symposium serves as one of Canada’s leading forums for researchers, decision makers, and policy experts to exchange ideas and findings that directly impact health services and policy.

New and Improved ─ COMPUS Revamps Website

Visitors to the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) website will notice a fresh new look in the Canadian Optimal Medication Prescribing and Utilization Service (COMPUS)section.

The revamped web pages present COMPUS products and news in a more dynamic format that is easier to navigate. Projects within our two topic areas─ Proton Pump Inhibitors and Diabetes Management (including Insulin Analogue Therapy and Blood Glucose Test Strips) ─ now have dedicated sections where stakeholders can easily access status updates, reports, and tools, and also provide feedback. In addition, a dedicated search option allows users to search for specific COMPUS publications and tools.

The COMPUS website is an important part of our efforts to respond to the evolving needs of our stakeholders. We value your feedback, so please do not hesitate to tell us what you think of the new site.

CADTH Employment Opportunities

CADTH is seeking candidates for a variety of positions that are posted on the Careers page.

Feedback

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