Outcomes Research - Common Themes

Common Themes

Common themes of outcomes research are:

Safety

• Misuse of medical therapy and oversight in the course of clinical care
• Medical mistakes that place patients at risk for adverse events

Effectiveness

• The gap between what can be achieved through medical intervention or policy and what is actually accomplished
• Whether policies are adapted by clinicians, the way they are applied, the skill of practitioners, the characteristics of the patients receiving interventions and whether patients are adherent to therapy

Equity

• Examination of disparity in healthcare delivery that focuses on whether nonclinical factors such as race, gender, and socioeconomic status influence the care of patients

Efficiency

• With increasing healthcare costs, outcomes research focuses on ways to maximize efficiency, limit healthcare costs, and reduce waste in the healthcare system.

Timeliness

• Patient access to healthcare: barriers to access, and uninsured patients inability to benefit from healthcare.

System responsiveness

• Educational efforts amongst the medical community and implementation of healthcare policies that improve patient care.

Patient-centeredness

• How medical interventions will affect patients, what patients feel and what they can do to effect medical decision making.
• The burden of illness, adverse effects of medications, and complication from procedures that affect the quality and quantity of life.