tailieunhanh - The role of economics in the QUERI program: QUERI Series

Mark W Smith*1,2 and Paul G Barnett1,2,3 Address: 1Health Economics Resource Center, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Menlo Park, California, USA, 2Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, USA and 3Department of Health Research and Policy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, USA Email: Mark W Smith* - ; Paul G Barnett - * Corresponding author Published: 22 April 2008 Implementation Science 2008, 3:20 doi: Received: 16 August 2006 Accepted: 22 April 2008 This article is available from: © 2008 Smith and Barnett; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access. | Implementation Science BioMed Central Research article Open Access The role of economics in the QUERI program QUERI Series Mark W Smith 1 2 and Paul G Barnett1 2 3 Address 1Health Economics Resource Center US Department of Veterans Affairs Menlo Park California USA 2Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research Stanford University School of Medicine Palo Alto California USA and 3Department of Health Research and Policy Stanford University School of Medicine Palo Alto California USA Email Mark W Smith - Paul G Corresponding author Published 22 April 2008 Received 16 August 2006 Implementation Science 2008 3 20 doi 1748-5908-3-20 Accepted 22 April 2008 This article is available from http content 3 1 20 2008 Smith and Barnett licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http licenses by which permits unrestricted use distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract Background The United States . Department of Veterans Affairs VA Quality Enhancement Research Initiative QUERI has implemented economic analyses in single-site and multi-site clinical trials. To date no one has reviewed whether the QUERI Centers are taking an optimal approach to doing so. Consistent with the continuous learning culture of the QUERI Program this paper provides such a reflection. Methods We present a case study of QUERI as an example of how economic considerations can and should be integrated into implementation research within both single and multi-site studies. We review theoretical and applied cost research in implementation studies outside and within VA. We also present a critique of the use of economic research within the QUERI program. Results Economic evaluation is a key element of implementation research. QUERI has contributed many .