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Read about the ESP's most recent impacts
Since 2007, the VA Evidence Synthesis Program (ESP) has helped VA function as a continuously learning health care system. We provide timely, rigorous, independent syntheses of published evidence for the VA to translate into evidence-based clinical practice, policy, and research. We adapt traditional systematic review approaches to meet our operational partners’ specific evidence needs and timelines. Whenever possible, our reports maintain an emphasis on the Veteran population to ensure our reviews are relevant to VA decision-makers. ESP reports are available in the public domain and many are published in top medical journals, extending their reach beyond the VA and even the US. ESP evidence syntheses have informed the clinical guidelines of large professional organizations.
The program receives funding from HSR and consists of four ESP Centers across the US, each with an active University affiliation, and a Coordinating Center, located in Portland, Oregon, which oversees national program operations, ensures methodological consistency and quality of products, and engages with stakeholders. Center Directors are recognized leaders in the field of evidence synthesis, often with close ties to the AHRQ Evidence-based Practice Centers and roles as practicing clinicians in the VA. This unique expertise enables ESP to produce comprehensive reports that answer a wide range of research questions in a variety of clinical and health system settings.
Miake-Lye I, Mak S, Valente T, Floyd N, Shekelle P. How an Evidence Synthesis Program's Growth Has Supported Research Use and Learning Community Partnership Networks Within a Learning Health System: A Descriptive Analysis and Case Series. Learning Health Systems. 2025; e70004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/lrh2.70004.
Boggan JC, Sankineni S, Dennis PA, et al. Effectiveness of Synchronous Postdischarge Contacts on Health Care Use and Patient Satisfaction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Annals of Internal Medicine. Published online January 14, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-24-01140.
Parr NJ, Young S, Baltich Nelson B. Assessing Whole-Person Outcomes During Routine Clinical Care: A Rapid Scoping Review. Medical Care. 2024; 62(12). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000002046.
Parr NJ, Beech EH, Young S, Valley TS. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Occult Hypoxemia Prevalence and Clinical Outcomes Among Hospitalized Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-024-08852-1.
Mak S, Allen J, Begashaw M, et al. Use of Massage Therapy for Pain, 2018-2023: A Systematic Review. JAMA Network Open. 2024; 7(7):e2422259. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.22259.
Ramos K, Shepherd-Banigan M, McDermott C, et al. Health Care Team Interventions to Reduce Distress Behaviors in Older Adults: A Systematic Review. Clinical Gerontologist. Published online July 2, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2024.2372424.
Nugent SM, Anderson J, Young SK. Behavioural Mental Health Interventions Delivered in the Emergency Department for Suicide, Overdose and Psychosis: A Scoping Review. BMJ Open 2024;14:e080023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080023.
Quinn M, Jutkowitz E, Primack J, et al. Protocols to Reduce Seclusion in Inpatient Mental Health Units. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. Published online January 9, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13277.
Burke CA, Seidler KJ, Rethorn ZD, et al. Interventions to Improve Long-Term Adherence to Physical Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy. 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1519/JPT.0000000000000402.
Available on the intranet only. See vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov
ESP reports are externally peer-reviewed by clinical and policy experts. If you're interested in serving as a peer reviewer for the program, please register here.
