Abstract

Storytelling and innovative organizational structures are distinct but complementary approaches to tackling the problem of providing evidence - based healthcare in hospitals. Both appear to have a great deal of merit. In this paper I have used storytelling as a method to expose and analyze three messages in the paper by Browman and colleagues: 1) it is possible to create a negotiating environment by changing the formal decision-making structure ; 2) evidence - based healthcare costs more money; and 3) allowing a trial period for an innovation increases the likelihood that it will be adopted.Two major challenges are, first , to ensure that evidence - based healthcare is valued within both the informal and formal organization ; and second, to actively involve the most important stakeholders - patients - at all levels of policy setting in hospitals.