Written by Dr. Janine Margarita Dizon, Research Fellow (Knowledge and Implementation Hub), ARIIA
The 20th of October is World Evidence-Based Health Care Day. This day highlights the importance of using the best available evidence to inform practice, decision-making and policy. On this day, the value of evidence is widely recognised. High-quality evidence helps us understand what works, what does not and where resources can have the greatest impact. Evidence provides a foundation for improving care quality and ensuring decisions are guided by knowledge rather than assumptions. Yet, evidence along is rarely enough.
Evidence must be understood and applied within context. Research findings are often generated in specific populations, settings and systems. When applied into a different environment, the same intervention or strategy may produce different results. This is not because the evidence is flawed, but because the local context conditions are different.
Contextualising evidence is the process of applying evidence to solve real-world problems by understanding not only what works, but also why the problem exists and how local needs, resources and service delivery contexts influence solutions. In aged care, contextualising evidence is important especially as Australia moves through a period of significant aged care reform. Organisations are expected to deliver care that upholds the rights, dignity and preferences of older people while balancing quality, workforce pressures and sustainability. Evidence can help identify effective solutions, but local context knowledge is essential for understanding how those solutions can be translated and applied in practice.
This is why the Knowledge and Implementation Hub exists. Evidence is only valuable when it is accessible, relevant and capable of being applied in real-world settings. The Hub, which covers topics from rights-based care, to workforce retention and technology in aged care, aims to bridge the gap between research and practice. By bringing together evidence, expert and sector input, the Hub supports the aged care sector turn this research into action.
On World Evidence-Based Health Care Day, we are reminded that improving outcomes requires more than generating evidence. Evidence needs to be applied in consideration of local context realities. Evidence tells us what may work, but understanding context is what makes change possible.