LibGuides: SoHP: Nursing Quality and Safety: Health Outcomes Research

What is Health Outcomes Research?

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, health outcomes research is defined as follows: "Research aimed at assessing the quality and effectiveness of health care as measured by the attainment of a specified end result or outcome. Measures include parameters such as improved health, lowered morbidity or mortality, and improvement of abnormal states (such as elevated blood pressure)." This form of research differs from clinical trials and controlled research studies as it reviews "clinical outcomes, financial impact, and a range of functional measures, including patients’ reported quality of life and satisfaction" (Ellis, 2015).

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Resources on Health Outcomes Research

"Outcomes Measures" in Encyclopedia of Nursing Research by Joyce J. Fitzpatrick
ISBN: 9780826133045
Publication Date: 2017
Nursing reference, meticulously researched by luminaries in the field, represents the state of the art in nursing science. Comprehensive and concise, entries provide the most relevant and current research perspectives and demonstrate the depth and breadth of nursing research today.
"Outcomes Research" in Dictionary of Nursing Theory and Research by Bethel Ann Powers; Thomas R. Knapp
ISBN: 9780826106650
Publication Date: 2010
Classic dictionary for understanding traditional and new concepts in nursing theory and research. Reflects nursing priorities in research and theory development in the current interprofessional health care environment.
Using Patient Reported Outcomes to Improve Health Care by John Appleby; Nancy Devlin; David Parkin
ISBN: 9781118948590
Publication Date: 2016
Explains and shows how Patient Reported Outcomes can be best used to improve healthcare and patient outcomes. Includes real-life examples and case studies of PROs in practice.

Applied Health Economics and Health Policy
Includes high quality economic research and reviews of all aspects of healthcare from various perspectives and countries, designed to communicate the latest applied information in health economics and health policy.
BMC Health Services Research
An open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on all aspects of health services research, including delivery of care, management of health services, assessment of healthcare needs, measurement of outcomes, allocation of healthcare resources, evaluation of different health markets and health services organizations, international comparative analysis of health systems, health economics and the impact of health policies and regulations.
Global Health Research and Policy
An open access, multidisciplinary journal that publishes topic areas and methods addressing global health questions.
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes
An open access, peer-reviewed journal considering original manuscripts on the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) assessment for evaluation of medical and psychosocial interventions.
Health Services and Outcomes Research Methodology
Addresses the needs of interlocking communities: methodologists in statistics, econometrics, social and behavioral sciences; designers and analysts of health policy and health services research projects; and health care providers and policy makers who need to properly understand and evaluate the results of published research.
Health Services Research
Original, empirical studies of important health services issues and problems, major policy issues, alternatives and implications aimed at health services researchers, policy makers and practitioners in the health sector.
International Journal of Health Services Research and Policy
Provides a peer-reviewed forum for health researchers and academics from all countries to share and discuss new issues and amendments in health related problems.
Medical Decision Making
A peer-reviewed journal offering rigorous and systematic approaches to decision making that are designed to improve the health and clinical care of individuals and to assist with health policy development.
Quality of Life Research
An international, multidisciplinary journal devoted to the rapid communication of original research, theoretical articles and methodological reports related to the field of quality of life, in all the health sciences.
Value in Health
An international, indexed journal that publishes original research and health policy articles that advance the field of health economics and outcomes research to help healthcare leaders make evidence-based decisions.

The Belmont Report. (1979). The Belmont Report: Ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subjects of research search.
Written by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research.
The International Center for Clinical Excellence. (2018). Feedback readiness index and fidelity measure (FRIFM).
The Feedback Readiness Index and Fidelity Measure (FRIFM) is an organizational readiness checklist and evaluation tool for behavioral health agencies, services and/or systems of care specifically designed to assist in the implementation of Feedback Informed Treatment (FIT).
The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research. (n.d.).
ISPOR is recognized globally as the leading educational and scientific organization for health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) and its use in healthcare decisions.
Resnik, D. B. (2015). What is ethics in research & why is it important?
Author David B. Resnik, Bioethicist and Institutional Review Board Chair for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, defines ethics in research.
Transition Support. (2018). Quality improvement.
Provides ISO 9000 definition of quality improvement.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2005). Code of Federal Regulations - Title 45 Public Welfare CFR 46.
The regulations found at 45 CFR part 46 are based in large part on the Belmont Report and were written to offer basic protections to human subjects involved in both biomedical and behavioral research conducted or supported by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Avondet, B. (2017). 7 features of highly effective outcomes improvement projects. Health Catalyst.
Offers seven tips for quality improvement projects in health care.
Regnault, A., & Willgoss, T. (2018, April 11). Towards the use of mixed methods inquiry as best practice in health outcomes research. Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes, 2(1) .
The purpose of this paper is to outline a process for incorporating mixed methods research in health outcomes research to guide stakeholders in their understanding of the essence of mixed methods inquiry.
Onur Baser, Gabriela Samayoa, Nehir Yapar, Erdem Baser, & Fatih Mete. (2023). Use of Open Claims vs Closed Claims in Health Outcomes Research. Journal of Health Economics and Outcomes Research.
Claims and outcomes research.
Proctor, E. K., Bunger, A. C., Lengnick-Hall, R., Gerke, D. R., Martin, J. K., Phillips, R. J., & Swanson, J. C. (2023). Ten years of implementation outcomes research: a scoping review. Implementation Science, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-023-012
Proctor and colleagues’ 2011 paper proposed a taxonomy of eight implementation outcomes and challenged the field to address a research agenda focused on conceptualization, measurement, and theory building. Ten years later, this paper maps the field’s progress in implementation outcomes research.