Outcomes research is topical in discussions about health-related research. Its emphasis on effectiveness creates an important opportunity for nurse researchers to strengthen the linkages between theory, outcomes research and nursing practice but, before care can be more effective, it is logical to establish patients' desired outcomes. A thorough review of the implications of this requirement fo...

© 2017 Ancient Science of Life | Published by Wolters Kluwer Medknow Translational research applies findings from basic science to enhance human health and well‐being. In the context of medical research, findings in basic research are to be translated into medical practice that will lead to meaningful health outcomes. In spite of translational research being a buzz word, it is not clearly defined.

Conceptual models provide a theoretical basis for advancing scientific knowledge and improving professional practice. Although numerous assistive technology-related models have appeared in the literature, there has been no systematic effort to assess them. Six conceptual models are reviewed here: Cook and Hussey's Human-Activity-Assistive Technology model; the World Health Organization's Intern...

Many countries across Europe and elsewhere have been experimenting with various structured approaches to manage patients with chronic illness as a way to improve quality of care, reduce costs and lead to better population health outcomes in the long run. Despite a body of studies of disease management interventions, uncertainty about the effects of these remains not least because current guidan...

OBJECTIVES To review the impact of agriculture interventions on nutritional status in participating households, and to analyse the characteristics of interventions that improved nutrition outcomes. DESIGN We identified and reviewed reports describing 30 agriculture interventions that measured impact on nutritional status. The interventions reviewed included home gardening, livestock, mixed ga...

Gray DB, Hendershot GE. The ICIDH-2: developments for a new era of outcomes research. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2000;81 Suppl 2:S10-S14. This article reviews the important concepts that led to the development of the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps (ICIDH), explicates the International Classification of Functioning and Disability (ICIDH-2), and discusses impl...

Healthcare "bundles" have been developed to help providers improve the reliability and delivery of essential healthcare processes. Bundles have been shown to be effective in reducing healthcare-associated infection rates and are increasingly used to ensure the quality of patient care. Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) is now standard medical practice in the treatment of a wide ...

Patient and stakeholder engagement enhances the meaningfulness of patient-centered outcomes research. Continuous engagement of diverse patients helps to achieve representativeness and to avoid tokenism, but is perceived as challenging due to resource and time constraints. The widespread availability of the internet, mobile phones, and electronic devices makes 'high-tech' solutions appealing, bu...

Researchers in medical education have been placing increased emphasis on "outcomes research," or the observable impact of educational interventions on patient care. However, although patient outcomes are obviously important, they should not be the sole focus of attention in medical education research. The purpose of this perspective is both to highlight the limitations of outcomes research in m...

A recently published article by the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Medical Outcomes Trust presents guidelines for selecting and evaluating health status and health-related quality of life measures used in health outcomes research. In their article, they propose a number of validation and performance criteria with which to evaluate such self-report measures. We provide an alternate, yet co...