Speech Presented by Professor Richard L. Abbott

Member, Executive Committee

Global Alliance Secretariat

American Academy of Ophthalmology

Professor of Ophthalmology

University of California San Francisco

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2009

Transcript:

“Vice Minister Ma Xiao-Wei, Dr. Wang Su Yang, Vice-President Wu Ming-Jiang, Dr. Tsai Jung-Jun, Director General Li Feng, Dr. Wang Yu, Dr. Meng Qun, Professor Li Xiaoxin, Honored Guests, Friends and Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my pleasure and honor to be here in Beijing to represent the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) at the signing ceremony between the Academy and the Health Human Resource Development Center (HHRDC), The Chinese Medical Association (CMA), and the Chinese Ophthalmological Society (COS).

This represents years of hard work and collaboration between the AAO and COS which began back in 2002. At that time, funding was granted from the World Health Organization, the National Eye Institute, the AAO, and the International Council of Ophthalmology to create a set of Clinical Practice Guidelines or Preferred Practice Patterns (PPPs) for ophthalmologists in China.

Under the outstanding leadership of Professor Zhao JiaLiang and with the dedicated assistance of Professors Li Xiao Xin and other leading professors of Ophthalmology from the major teaching centers throughout China, the Clinical Guidelines or PPPs were created over a three-year period and incorporated into a comprehensive book that was published by the COS. These Guidelines were based on the evidence-based AAO PPPs which were first developed in 1989 and updated every two to three years when necessary, based on publication of findings and recommendations from important clinical studies and trials.

Over the past several years, the Chinese Ophthalmological Society has worked diligently in disseminating the PPPs to ophthalmology residency teaching programs around China and to emphasize their importance in improving the quality of eye care for Chinese patients. They have also been used as a resource for teaching of the residents and fellows in these training programs. This Clinical Guidelines project has served as a model for the international ophthalmology community, since China was the first country of its type to undertake this ambitious effort.

The recognition of the importance of clinical practice guidelines to the improvement of quality eye care by the Ministry of Health and the Health Human Resource Development Center is a major step forward in the adoption and widespread use of these Guidelines by practitioners throughout China. The Academy is honored and pleased to be a partner in this ongoing effort to improve the quality of care for patients and education for the ophthalmology residents.

The goals of Clinical Practice Guidelines or PPPs are to reduce unnecessary variation among physicians, increase the quality of individual patient care, and raise overall standards of care for all patients. A Clinical Guideline may be defined as the thoughtful interpretation of the best available evidence translated into practical clinical guidance. Interpretation of the clinical guideline is a key component because study findings may vary by protocol criteria, and safety, efficacy, and cost-benefit are dependent upon the clinical status of the patient. It is also important to note, that clinical practice guidelines continue to change and evolve over time, based on the current literature review of well-designed studies, and therefore must be considered as “living documents;” changing when new evidence becomes available.  A challenge for the COS will be to make sure that the guidelines remain current and up to date. This is typically done every two-three years.  The close collaboration with the American Academy of Ophthalmology will help facilitate and support this process.

The challenges of clinical guideline development include making the evidence readily available to physicians and encouraging them to accept and comply with the guidelines in conjunction with their own clinical experience. Several studies have shown that patients currently receive evidence-based care only half of the time and that it typically takes approximately 12 years for the results of randomized clinical trials to be incorporated into practice. With the widespread use and implementation of the COS PPPs, it is hoped that more patients now will receive appropriate and evidence-based care for such conditions as Cataract, Glaucoma, Corneal Infections, and Diabetic Retinopathy.

In conclusion, I would like to recognize Santen LTD for their unrestricted financial grant to help support my current work and that of the COS on this project. I would also like to recognize and thank, once again, the enormous work and dedication of the COS leaders: Professors Li Xiaoxin, Wang Ning Li, Zhao KanXin, Ge Jian, and Xie Lixin. In addition, I would like to acknowledge, again, the long standing hard work and dedication of Professor Zhao JiaLiang, who was the leader of this project at the beginning. Finally, I would like to recognize and thank the Ministry of Health in conjunction with the Health Human Resource Development Center for their great support and cooperation on this most important collaborative project. I look forward to working with you on future visits to Beijing and to bringing improved quality of eye care to all patients in China!

Thank You!”

Read more:  Chinese Ministry of Health Adopts AAO Preferred Practice Patterns as National Standard

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