AHRQ Researchers Propose a Care and Learn Model To Inform Research To Improve Care Delivery and Outcomes

A group of AHRQ researchers has designed a model to analyze the agency’s research portfolio, identify gaps, develop and prioritize its research agenda and evaluate its performance. The model connects two broad functions of the health care system: caring and learning, emphasizing that the health care system’s primary function is to respond (and improve that response by learning) to the needs of people by caring with evidence. The agency and the health services research and improvement communities can use this care and learn model to frame an evidence-based understanding of vexing clinical, health care delivery and population health problems and to identify targets for investment, innovation and investigation. Access the abstract of the model, which was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

2018 Nov 14. doi: 10.1007/s11606-018-4737-7. [Epub ahead of print]

The Care and Learn Model: a Practice and Research Model for Improving Healthcare Quality and Outcomes.

Montori VM1,2, Hargraves I3, McNellis RJ4, Ganiats TG4, Genevro J4, Miller T4, Ricciardi R4, Bierman AS4.

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Abstract

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality conducted internal work to formulate a model that could be used to analyze the Agency's research portfolio, identify gaps, develop and prioritize its research agenda, and evaluate its performance. Existing models described the structure and components of the healthcare system. Instead, we produced a model of two functions: caring and learning. Central to this model is the commitment to and participation of people-patients, communities, and health professionals-and the organization of systems to respond to people's problems using evidence. As a product of caring, the system produces evidence that is then used to adapt and continuously improve this response, closely integrating caring and learning. The Agency and the health services research and improvement communities can use this Care and Learn Model to frame an evidence-based understanding of vexing clinical, healthcare delivery, and population health problems and to identify targets for investment, innovation, and investigation.