title: Building electronic data infrastructure for comparative effectiveness research: accomplishments, lessons learned and future steps.
abstract: There are large gaps in our knowledge on the potential impact of diagnostics and therapeutics on outcomes of patients treated in the real world. Comparative effectiveness research aims to fill these gaps to maximize effectiveness of these interventions. Health information technology has the potential to dramatically improve the practice of medicine and of research. This is an overview of about US$100 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act investment in 12 projects managed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to build an electronic clinical data infrastructure that connects research with healthcare delivery. The achievements and lessons learned from these projects provided a foundation for the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORnet)and will help to guide future infrastructure development needed to build an efficient, scalable and sustainable learning health system.
authors.affiliation: Medical Officer, Center for Evidence & Practice Improvement, Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
authors.forename: Gurvaneet S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Randhawa
mesh_terms: D057186:Comparative Effectiveness Research / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D016494:Computer Security; D003625:Data Collection / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D005380:Financing, Government / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D005544:Forecasting; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008490:Medical Informatics / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D017149:Private Sector / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D012107:Research Design; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D014481:United States; D016270:United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
keywords: American Recovery Reinvestment Act; clinical informatics; comparative effectiveness research; data infrastructure; distributed research; learning health system; quality improvement; registry; sustainability