Outcomes research examines the end results of health services on individuals and populations in order to provide scientific evidence to support healthcare decisions. It can be categorized into care-related research, patient-related research, and performance-related research. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute both fund outcomes research. Examples of potentially helpful areas for outcomes research include reducing opioid abuse, improving care coordination, and enhancing healthcare quality and safety.

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Outcomes Research
Haley Knutson
Touro University Nevada
Research and Ethics MSNV601

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What is Outcomes Research?
Outcomes research examines the end results of health services
on individuals as intended to provide scientific evidence relating
to decisions made by all that participate in healthcare. In other
words, it is the studies of care and treatments on individuals
and populations.
Outcomes research can be grouped into 3 categories:
1. Care-related
2. Patient-related
3. Performance-related
Schmidt, N. A. and Brown, J. M. (Eds.). (2015). Evidence-based practice for nurses:
Appraisal and application of research (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett
Learning.

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Agency for Healthcare Research
Quality (AHRQ)
 Promotes advancing excellence in healthcare
 Invests in research to make healthcare safer and better
 Creates teaching and training tools to educate healthcare systems
and professionals
 Generates and measures data to track and improve performance
of healthcare
(AHRQ,2018)

4. + Helpful Research
(AHRQ)
 Opioids- Opioid abuse and death has
been on the rise the past two decades.
Leading cause of injury or death.
Research to overcome or decrease this
problem would be great for our
population.
 Coordination of Care- Optimally
organizing care sets patient outcomes up
for successful. Careful coordination
promotes safe, appropriate, and effective
care
 Health-care Quality- This goes hand in
hand with coordination of care
 Surgery- Surgical complications can take
an immeasurable toll on the patient and
their family. Ways to improve OR safety
should be promoted.
(AHRQ,2018)
 Human Factors (Having parents present
for tracheal intubations in pediatric
patient) This may alleviate stress for the
patient and parents however additional
people in the OR is discouraged.
 Telehealth- incorporates broad
technologies. Improving telehealth
research would be helpful if it was more
specific to a certain area
 Disparities- This is such a broad topic
and likely covered in other topic
Unhelpful Research
(AHRQ)

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Patient-Centered Outcome
Research Institute
 Organization that funds research so healthcare workers can
make more informed decisions to benefit their patients.
 Patients and public have information that they can use to make
informed decisions.
 Influence and improve research based healthcare delivery

6. + Helpful Research (Patient-
Centered Outcome
Research Institute)
 Nonsurgical treatments for UI in
adult women- least invasive
treatment is always considered
before more invasive treatments to
decrease potential risks
 Managing pain while reducing opioid
use in patients with chronic pain-
reducing opioid use while still
managing pain is a relevant topic as
opioids addiction and abuse has
been on the rise.
 Identifying and predicting patients
for preventable high utilization- early
identification and targeting care
could decrease utilization
Unhelpful Research
(Patient-Centered
Outcome Research
Institute)
 Engaging parents of children
with Sickle Cell anemia to
engage is decision making
about Hydroxyurea- very narrow
topic that only applies to a very
specific group.
PCORI, 2018

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References
 AHRQ (2018). Featured Topics. Retrieve from:
https://www.ahrq.gov/topics/index.html
 PCORI (2018). Research Topics. Retrieve from:
https://www.pcori.org/research-results/research-topics
 Schmidt, N. A., Brown, J. M., (2015). Evidence Based Practice
for Nurses: Appraisal and Application of Research. Burlington,
MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.