The EPCs produce evidence reports on medications, devices, and other health care services for the EHC Program with the goal of helping consumers, health care professionals, and policymakers make informed and evidence-based health care decisions. In this past year, postings in AHRQ Views blog have highlighted important findings and contributions from EPC evidence reports on relevant and timely topics.

Managing pain with opioids and non-opioids:

• AHRQ Intensifies the Battle Against Opioid Misuse in 2017, Commits to More Progress in 2018.
  Gopal Khanna, M.B.A., AHRQ's Director, provides an overview of AHRQ research in this area, including an evidence review on the use of naloxone by emergency medical services personnel to manage suspected opioid overdose.
• Shifting Focus: Non-Opioid Strategies For Chronic Pain.
  Arlene Bierman, M.D., the Director of AHRQ's Center for Evidence and Practice Improvement, highlights two evidence reports that address the effectiveness of chronic pain management, one on opioids and another on noninvasive, nonpharmacological treatments.

Evidence to improve Childhood Mental Illness

• Embracing Evidence as a Central Strategy to Tackling Childhood Mental Illness.
  Stephanie Chang, M.D., M.P.H., Director of AHRQ's Evidence-based Practice Center Program, highlights findings and challenges from several recent evidence reports on childhood mental illness. Topics include: strategies to improve mental healthcare delivery; first and second generation antipsychotics; anxiety; and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Partnering with NHLBI to improve Asthma Care

• Evaluating New Evidence to Improve Asthma Care and Quality of Life.
  Stephanie Chang, M.D., M.P.H., illustrates how a partnership between AHRQ and another Federal agency can improve asthma care. A set of AHRQ evidence reviews developed in partnership with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute provides insights on how to control asthma and will be used to update national asthma guidelines. Areas studied include immunotherapy; inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting muscarinic antagonists; indoor allergen reduction; bronchial thermoplasty; and fractional exhaled nitric oxide.