Dear Participant

May we congratulate you on being chosen to represent your country at the Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) Summit to be held in Loughborough, UK from the 15th to the 17th May 2009.

The following describes the nature of the experience we have conceived.

First you need to be assured there is a fundamental evolution in Hospital Pharmacy, indeed for all health care professionals. Neither will society pay for the luxury of individuals repeatedly synthesizing the same ‘evidence’ nor will it sanction a single person’s assessment. The new skills are to efficiently assess existing quality summaries of drug therapies made available in electronic format and to determine how to produce a patient specific application of knowledge and understanding that will facilitate the transfer of EBM to Evidence-Based Practice (EBP). Harnessing these skill will ensure the valued and continued contribution of Hospital Pharmacy in health care.

This Summit is about developing in you these skills and qualities as they might be applied in your country. Disseminating your experience and refined abilities is the subsequent task we would ask of you.

You should aim to arrive at East-Midlands airport (http://www.eastmidlandsairport.com/) on Thursday 14th May for 5pm. Transport will be arranged for the 15 minute journey to Loughborough University where four star accommodation has been booked until Sunday. The EAHP will assist you in arranging transport and your contact is the EAHP Education Manager (em@eahp.eu).

Before setting out you will have completed a survey of your current EBM knowledge and understanding. This survey will be made available in April 2009 on-line at http://www.npc.co.uk/. In addition you will shortly be provided with instruction for accessing learning material at the National Prescribing Centre. To assist in this preparation we will be sending you a personal copy of Glasziou P, Del Mar C, Salisbury J. Evidence-based Practice Workbook (2nd ed). Blackwell Publishing:BMJ Books 2007. At the Summit we will assume you have undertaken the tasks and the reading.

For the duration of the Summit you will work as a group with five other participants from different countries. You will have your own personal laptop computer with access to the Internet and a wide range of on-line medicines database resources. Your group will be allocated cases derived from one of the following seven topic areas:

1. anti-coagulants in atrial fibrillation;
2. cardiovascular risk reduction in type two diabetes mellitus;
3. chronic obstructive airways disease;
4. depression;
5. non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
6. rheumatoid arthritis and monoclonal antibodies; and,
7. venous thromboembolism prophylaxis.

To help you, each group will have a dedicated case-based learning facilitator who has been trained specifically in the development of the required EBM skills. Acknowledged experts will provide state-of-the-art International overviews ensuring that you have an appreciation of the global direction of EBM. However, we believe it will be your engagement with the practical aspects that will be a truly unique and valued learning experience. Short descriptions of all contributors will be made available prior to the event and you are invited to approach and converse with them in pursuing and developing your skills.

There is a competitive aspect to the Summit. Given a topic-specific scenario, your group will be judged in its ability to transfer EBM to EBP. There are prizes for the one group that excels beyond all others. We look forward to facilitating your efforts.