Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Weiss, A. P. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Weiss, A. P. General Topics in Psychiatry

Measuring the Impact of Medical Research: Moving From Outputs to Outcomes

Billions of dollars are spent every year to support medical research, with a substantial percentage coming from charitable foundations. To justify these expenditures, some measure of the return on investment would be useful, particularly one aligned with the intended ultimate outcome of this scientific effort: the amelioration of disease. The current mode of reporting on the success of medical research is output based, with an emphasis on measurable productivity. This approach falls short in many respects and may be contributing to the well-described efficacy-effectiveness gap in clinical care. The author argues for an outcomes-based approach and describes the steps involved, using an adaptation of the logic model. A shift in focus to the outcomes of our work would provide our funders with clearer mission-central return-on-investment feedback, would make explicit the benefits of science to an increasingly skeptical public, and would serve as a compass to guide the scientific community in playing a more prominent role in reducing the efficacy-effectiveness gap. While acknowledging the enormous complexity involved with the implementation of this approach on a large scale, the author hopes that this essay will encourage some initial steps toward this aim and stimulate further discussion of this concept.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. M. Booth and W. J. Mackillop Translating New Medical Therapies Into Societal Benefit: The Role of Population-Based Outcome Studies JAMA, November 12, 2008; 300(18): 2177 - 2179. [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. Lippi, M. Franchini, and G. C. Guidi Doping in competition or doping in sport? Br. Med. Bull., June 1, 2008; 86(1): 95 - 107. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2007 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us