Welcome

The Pacific Northwest Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) conducts systematic reviews of health care topics for federal and state agencies, professional associations, and foundations. These reviews report the evidence from clinical research studies and the quality of that evidence for use by clinicians, employers, policymakers, researchers, and others in making decisions about the provision of health care services and future health research. Reports may be used to inform the development of clinical practice guidelines, or to inform reimbursement and coverage policies. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)'s Effective Health Care Program posts the drafts of these reports under the "Open for Comment" section of their site, click the below button to see what is currently open for public comment.

The Pacific Northwest EPC is one of 12 EPCs sponsored by the AHRQ. The Center is housed in the Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, OHSU School of Medicine, Portland, Oregon, with partners at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, and Aggregate Analytics, Inc., in Fircrest, Washington.

Disclaimer:

The information contained in this site is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Discuss any questions you may have regarding your medical condition or the information in these reports with your doctor, and always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment. Nothing contained in this site is intended for medical diagnosis or treatment.

The purpose of the Drug Effectiveness Review Project reports prepared by the EPC (2002 - 2018) was to make available information regarding the comparative effectiveness and safety profiles of different drugs within pharmaceutical classes. Reports were not intended as usage guidelines, nor should they be read as an endorsement of, or recommendation for, any particular drug, use or approach. The Pacific Northwest EPC and Oregon Health & Science University do not recommend or endorse any guideline or recommendation developed by users of these reports.