Researchers at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute are making a case for providers and payers to invest more in applied research.
Patients benefit when stakeholders strive to improve medical practices in a short window instead of focusing solely on long-term improvements, according to an commentary, which was published Thursday by the New England Journal of Medicine.
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The system has seen first-hand how applied research projects can pay off. For instance, Harvard Pilgrim worked with the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) to study methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and found that decolonization is the most effective method to prevent MRSA in ICU patients. Nearly 140 HCA hospitals adopted the strategy and saw a drop in bloodstream infections and annual savings of more than $19 million, which proves that such studies have value, according to the authors.
We support quality improvement efforts that result from robust applied research studies: https://t.co/UW7oxin8Rj
— Harvard Pilgrim (@HarvardPilgrim) February 23, 2017
There are barriers to expanding applied research, however, the authors note. The current research system can't support the needed volume of study, as many venues for research require complex protocols that are both costly and lengthy, defeating the ultimate goal of finding quicker solutions to immediate problems.
This is where stakeholders from across the healthcare industry can get involved, they write. Payers and providers must work together to fund and conduct applied research projects. Systems that take the initiative can tackle their immediate priorities more quickly instead of waiting for federal funding or other means to come through.
“Our existing federally-funded research system, which focuses on large advances in knowledge and requires costly and lengthy protocols, cannot support the needed volume of applied research,” Richard Platt, M.D., chair of Harvard Medical School’s department of population medicine and one of the article’s co-authors, said in an announcement. “We need greater leadership by healthcare systems not only to conduct applied research but also to share their findings with other providers and the community.”