Outcomes research seeks to understand the end results of particular health care practices and interventions. For clinicians and patients, outcomes research provides evidence about benefits, risks, and results of treatments so they can make more informed decisions. For health care managers and purchasers, outcomes research can identify potentially effective strategies they can implement to improve the quality and value of care. By linking the care people get to the outcomes they experience, outcomes research has become the key to developing better ways to monitor and improve the quality of care.
Some outcomes instruments focus on measuring how individuals rate their health overall. General health surveys such as the SF-36 are frequently used in outcomes research studies. Additionally, there are outcome instruments for specific diseases. For example the Knee Society Scoring System rates the function of an individual following total knee replacement.
Outcomes research has altered the culture of clinical practice and health care research by changing how we assess the end results of health care services. In doing so, it has provided the foundation for measuring the quality of care.