Ask Better Questions, Make Better Decisions: Laying the Groundwork for Evidence-Informed Action

In today's fast-paced healthcare environment, Canadian healthcare leaders are often called to make critical decisions in high pressure situations, under stress, with limited time, and sometimes without the best available evidence. Whether it's a physician pushing for rapid approval of a new medical device or a clinician trying to make a care decision, urgency can lead to choices that don't align with the health system's long-term objectives or deliver the best clinical outcomes for the patient.

This webinar explores how asking the right questions—early and intentionally—can transform decision-making across complex systems. Participants will learn how to identify and reduce bias, clarify purpose, and connect decisions to what truly matters: patient outcomes, system priorities, and operational realities.

We'll also examine how independent, unbiased clinical evidence can engage clinical decision-makers, build trust, and support more confident, transparent decisions—especially in high-stake environments.

• Recognize different types of decisions and the specific information they require.
• Frame questions that clarify purpose, context, and impact—using real-world examples.
• Identify trusted sources of evidence and understand why objectivity and impartiality matter in high-stake decisions.
• Support decisions that improve care, operations, and outcomes across programs, sites, and systems—within and across Canadian provinces and territories.

This session is designed to help Canadian health leaders navigate complexity with clarity. Whether you're working across provinces, managing acute care delivery, or shaping emergency response strategies, the ability to ask appropriate clinical research questions—and ground decisions in trusted evidence—can lead to smarter, faster, and more impactful outcomes.

Dr. Tara Klassen is a nationally recognized translational scientist with over 25 years of experience leading health-focused research across Canada. She currently serves as Innovation Lead for Surgical Care Alberta, where she guides evidence-based decisions in the perioperative space and leads both the Evidence Decision Support Program (EDSP) and the Provincial Advisory Council on Device Innovation (PACODI). With a PhD from the University of Alberta and over $11 million in active grant funding, Tara has authored publications in Cell, Science Translational Medicine, and Epilepsia, and has received multiple awards—including the Brandon University Outstanding Young Alumni Award, the University of Alberta Excellence in Teaching Award, the American Epilepsy Society Young Investigator Award, and the Cumming School of Medicine's Service to People and Partners Award—for her contributions to research, teaching, and health system innovation.

Evan LeGault is the Director of Clinical Evidence Services at ECRI, bringing more than 20 years of experience advancing evidence-based healthcare. Since joining ECRI in 2001, he has overseen a broad portfolio of programs, including the AHRQ-designated Evidence-based Practice Center, evidence consulting services, the Clinical Evidence Assessment membership program, and the ECRI Guidelines Trust®. In this role, Evan leads teams that deliver systematic reviews, tailored analyses, and accessible clinical guidelines that inform policy, guide clinical practice, and strengthen patient safety. Through his leadership, ECRI continues to provide healthcare organizations, government agencies, and clinicians with trusted, independent evidence to support safe, effective, and value-driven decision-making.

 

Laura Koepfler MLS, lead’s ECRI medical library team who conduct research for all rapid and systematic Clinical Evidence Assessments. This includes our Clinical Evidence Assessment (CEA) membership service, which provides access to over 3,000 reports on new and emerging healthcare technologies. Her team also produces research for reports commissioned by governmental agencies and medical associations both in the US and internationally. This includes systematic evidence reviews developed by the ECRI-Penn Evidence-based Practice Center. She serves as a lead librarian, performing literature searches for evidence reports, clinical practice guidelines, and systematic reviews. She collaborates with clinical teams to define project parameters and conduct comprehensive research from the protocol stage through to the final reporting. Throughout her career, Ms. Koepfler has managed teams and worked as a librarian in a variety of settings, including academic medical centers, schools of nursing, physical rehabilitation centers, specialized cancer facilities, and community hospitals.

Lisa Cahill

Lisa Cahill leads ECRI's Clinical Evidence custom research support service. She oversees project scope and workflow while ensuring the timely completion of all client deliverables. Lisa joined the Clinical Evidence team in 2015, after having supported ECRI's Capital Guide team within its Global Supply Chain Solutions for 10 years.