Where there is no evidence: Use of expert consensus methods to fill the evidence gap in low-income countries and cultural minorities

Abstract

Background: In both developing countries and in relation to cultural minorities there have been calls to scale up mental health services and for evidence-informed policy and practice.Evidence based medicine: The evidence based medicine movement has had a major influence in improving practice. However, implementation of this approach has some major difficulties. One that has been neglected is the situation where there is no relevant evidence. This situation is more likely to occur for healthcare decisions in developing countries or for cultural minorities within developed countries, because resources do not exist for expensive research studies.Consensus methods: Consensus methods, such as the..