Science 1998; 282: 245-246)
HEALTH CARE POLICY:
Outcomes Research: Measuring the
End Results of Health Care
Carolyn M. Clancy and John M. Eisenberg
Only by collecting and analyzing health outcomes
data will it be possible to judge the overall quality of care for the nation. In
the next decade, increased inclusion of outcomes
measures in daily practice will facilitate expansion of the metrics by which
patients and clinicians evaluate the success of health care. Close
correspondence between research and the needs of decision-makers will be needed
to ensure that health care services are used effectively.
C. M. Clancy is director of the Center for Outcomes
and Effectiveness Research and J. M. Eisenberg is administrator of the Agency
for Health Care Policy and Research, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS), 2101 East Jefferson Street, Rockville, MD 20852, USA. The views
expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the
position of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research or of HHS.
