Research Methods and Risk Adjustment for Population Health Decisions -Key Takeaways

Autonomy

In research, this principle is the right for a person to participate as a human subject or not. In healthcare, it refers to a patient having the right to make their own choices, unless they have been legally deemed unable to do so.

Beneficence

This is a concept that concerns the welfare of a research participant, but it can also apply to the treatment of patients. The opposite term, "maleficence," describes opposing the welfare of a research participant. You may also see a term, "malfeasance," which is intentional conduct outside the law.

Databases

A well-designed healthcare database captures data to support the organization's analysis and comparison of safety, quality, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness, and efficacy of actual care and services delivered to the patient over time.

Data warehouses

These assimilate data from multiple transaction systems. Data warehouses can be used to distinguish larger trends in data from multiple sources.

Disease registries

A hybrid between transaction systems and data warehouses, these are designed for tracking explicitly defined data at a case-specific level.

Evidence-based practice

Healthcare administrators must have a working knowledge of statistics in order to make sound, effective decisions when using research to inform treatment and processes. Studies show that using analytical skills to make decisions based on quality data will result in increased patient satisfaction and improved outcomes (Scott & Mazhindu, 2014). In order to discern the highest-quality research, administrators must have the expertise necessary to objectively analyze statistics for validity. For both professionals and patients, a basic understanding of research and statistics in healthcare fosters improved health literacy and informed decisions.

Fidelity

this principle requires loyalty, fairness, truthfulness, advocacy, and dedication to patients (and others). It involves an agreement to keep promises, to keep a commitment, and is based on the virtue of caring. This principle would include patient advocacy.

Forecasting

Forecasting is the process of predicting outcomes and needs to create systems and models with the highest financial and operational safety and efficiency; it can be used to determine the potential use of services and patient demand, or to expand service lines and markets.

Health disparities

Health disparities are defined as "differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of diseases;" they are frequently seen in subpopulations based on socioeconomic status, geography, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or special needs.

Justice

in research, it pertains to the fair selection of research participants. Justice is the ideal distribution of risks and benefits when conducting clinical research and recruiting volunteer research participants to participate in clinical trials. One example of the principle of justice seen in the United States is when citizens turn 65 years of age, they are eligible for Medicare, no matter who they are or their socioeconomic level.

Market segmentation

Market or population segmentation is used to divide the defined community, group, or cohort into aggregate domains of shared traits. The intent is to optimally understand specific needs and further customize care and services.

Measurement and decision support

Measurement is used to monitor quality improvement in systems and processes, analyze current trends, evaluate performance, and—when results are gathered—to place accountability. New knowledge is built on research. Decision support provides an information platform to evaluate leading, lagging, and real-time performance measures.

Measuring effectiveness of treatments

Statistics are necessary to measure and compare treatment outcomes. Statistically analyzing the effectiveness of treatments is the optimal method to determine validity for adoption.

Multiple regression

The purpose of multiple regression is to determine the relationship between several independent or predictor variables and a dependent variable.

Needs assessment

A needs assessment is the process of collecting and analyzing information about a specific population, enterprise, or cohort to gain stakeholder insight into cultural engagement. It may also identify coalition strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, issues, available resources, and constraints or barriers. The needs assessment supports clear direction for decisions involving development of a specific health initiative or program.

Outcome evaluation

An outcome evaluation focuses on the end result of a specific program or initiative, generally clinically measured by improvements in morbidity, mortality, or vital measures of symptoms, signs, or physiologic indicators.

Plagiarism Avoidance

Plagiarism is the uncredited use of someone else’s words or ideas. A charge of plagiarism to a researcher may have serious consequences, including loss of a job or expulsion from a university, and will result in loss of standing in the professional community.

Research

Research can inform decisions regarding the development and efficacy of new processes, systems, technologies, environments, and organizational structures to support operations.

Quality improvement

Quality improvement is measured internally and externally, using various benchmarks and indicators. These indicators are quantified by proportions, percentages, ratios, means, medians, and counts to measure processes, perspectives, and outcomes aligned with a certain initiative or decision.

Transaction systems

Divide data according to individual operations. The data stored by transaction systems is granular and based on specialized systems.