Closing the evidence-to-practice gap: a scalable framework for strengthening national clinical guidance in the global south
1
Knowledge Translation Unit, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A965
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The interval between the generation of medical knowledge and its application challenges patient safety. Clinical guidelines often function as static documents with update cycles of 3 to 5 years, causing outdated practices and inefficient resource use [1]. Furthermore, guidelines are often created in silos; consequently, 71.4% of living guideline activities in low- and middle-income countries are conducted by global organizations rather than national systems [1]. In this study, we propose and evaluate a framework to transition from this decentralized landscape into a structured knowledge format.
METHODS:
We are designing a Knowledge Library platform to consolidate decentralized clinical guidance—including government circulars and standard treatment guidelines—into a centralized, structured repository that utilizes artificial intelligence. This study examines data extraction techniques for continuous literature monitoring [2]. The methodology outlines a testing phase where clinical editors evaluate retrieval accuracy on complex clinical problems [3], prioritizing source documentation for expert verification. Additionally, technical exploration includes managing document versioning to ensure clinical content remains current, traceable, and authoritative [4].
RESULTS:
Preliminary evaluation indicates that this framework streamlines the identification of relevant updates within a multifaceted landscape. By consolidating sources into a single repository, the system reduces the administrative effort required to monitor decentralized documentation, shortening the guideline update timeline. The structured format enables rapid retrieval of source documentation, facilitating faster expert verification of new protocols [4].
CONCLUSIONS:
Establishing a centralized repository is essential for evidence-based practice. This infrastructure provides a "Single Source of Truth," ensuring current medical evidence remains an accessible right. By facilitating a direct link between research and policy, this shift allows national health systems to manage clinical standards directly, ensuring recommendations are adapted to regional priorities rather than external schedules [1, 5].
The interval between the generation of medical knowledge and its application challenges patient safety. Clinical guidelines often function as static documents with update cycles of 3 to 5 years, causing outdated practices and inefficient resource use [1]. Furthermore, guidelines are often created in silos; consequently, 71.4% of living guideline activities in low- and middle-income countries are conducted by global organizations rather than national systems [1]. In this study, we propose and evaluate a framework to transition from this decentralized landscape into a structured knowledge format.
METHODS:
We are designing a Knowledge Library platform to consolidate decentralized clinical guidance—including government circulars and standard treatment guidelines—into a centralized, structured repository that utilizes artificial intelligence. This study examines data extraction techniques for continuous literature monitoring [2]. The methodology outlines a testing phase where clinical editors evaluate retrieval accuracy on complex clinical problems [3], prioritizing source documentation for expert verification. Additionally, technical exploration includes managing document versioning to ensure clinical content remains current, traceable, and authoritative [4].
RESULTS:
Preliminary evaluation indicates that this framework streamlines the identification of relevant updates within a multifaceted landscape. By consolidating sources into a single repository, the system reduces the administrative effort required to monitor decentralized documentation, shortening the guideline update timeline. The structured format enables rapid retrieval of source documentation, facilitating faster expert verification of new protocols [4].
CONCLUSIONS:
Establishing a centralized repository is essential for evidence-based practice. This infrastructure provides a "Single Source of Truth," ensuring current medical evidence remains an accessible right. By facilitating a direct link between research and policy, this shift allows national health systems to manage clinical standards directly, ensuring recommendations are adapted to regional priorities rather than external schedules [1, 5].
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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