The year in epidemiology, health services, and outcomes research.

s he field of outcomes research continues to grow in its ophistication, scope, and importance. Our ability to track atterns of disease and health care and patient outcomes ontinues to build on stronger methodological approaches, dvances in computing technology, and the coordination of alented investigators. Breakthroughs in the diagnosis and reatment of cardiovascular disease are applying pressure on he field to assess and enhance the translation of best ractice into actual practice. Spiraling health care costs, as a esult of expanding clinical capabilities and the aging of the opulation, challenge clinicians and policymakers to develop system that is effective and affordable. Practical research hat can provide insight regarding clinical care and populaion policies is needed now more than ever. Keeping pace ith this research requires a survey of a broad range of ublication venues in this truly multidisciplinary field. This overview highlights information from prominent pidemiology, health services, and outcomes research pubications from April 2004 through March 2005. Because it s not possible to include all the high-quality publications in his topic area, I sought to feature those I consider to have een particularly high-impact. Similar to last year’s review, he studies included here are organized within categories onsistent with the core goals for the future of American ealth care, as articulated by the National Academy of ciences Institute of Medicine (IOM)—safety, effectiveess, equity, efficiency, timeliness, and patient-centeredness. new category is included this year for policy-relevant tudies of population trends and epidemiology.