research project ideas health care

Research Topics & Ideas: Healthcare

100+ Healthcare Research Topic Ideas To Fast-Track Your Project

Finding and choosing a strong research topic is the critical first step when it comes to crafting a high-quality dissertation, thesis or research project. If you’ve landed on this post, chances are you’re looking for a healthcare-related research topic , but aren’t sure where to start. Here, we’ll explore a variety of healthcare-related research ideas and topic thought-starters across a range of healthcare fields, including allopathic and alternative medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, optometry, pharmacology and public health.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps . In this post, we’ll kickstart the process by sharing some research topic ideas within the healthcare domain. This is the starting point, but to develop a well-defined research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , along with a well-justified plan of action to fill that gap.

If you’re new to the oftentimes perplexing world of research, or if this is your first time undertaking a formal academic research project, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course. In it, we cover the process of writing a dissertation or thesis from start to end. Be sure to also sign up for our free webinar that explores how to find a high-quality research topic.

Overview: Healthcare Research Topics

• Allopathic medicine
• Alternative /complementary medicine
• Veterinary medicine
• Physical therapy/ rehab
• Optometry and ophthalmology
• Pharmacy and pharmacology
• Public health
• Examples of healthcare-related dissertations

Allopathic (Conventional) Medicine

• The effectiveness of telemedicine in remote elderly patient care
• The impact of stress on the immune system of cancer patients
• The effects of a plant-based diet on chronic diseases such as diabetes
• The use of AI in early cancer diagnosis and treatment
• The role of the gut microbiome in mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety
• The efficacy of mindfulness meditation in reducing chronic pain: A systematic review
• The benefits and drawbacks of electronic health records in a developing country
• The effects of environmental pollution on breast milk quality
• The use of personalized medicine in treating genetic disorders
• The impact of social determinants of health on chronic diseases in Asia
• The role of high-intensity interval training in improving cardiovascular health
• The efficacy of using probiotics for gut health in pregnant women
• The impact of poor sleep on the treatment of chronic illnesses
• The role of inflammation in the development of chronic diseases such as lupus
• The effectiveness of physiotherapy in pain control post-surgery

Topics & Ideas: Alternative Medicine

• The benefits of herbal medicine in treating young asthma patients
• The use of acupuncture in treating infertility in women over 40 years of age
• The effectiveness of homoeopathy in treating mental health disorders: A systematic review
• The role of aromatherapy in reducing stress and anxiety post-surgery
• The impact of mindfulness meditation on reducing high blood pressure
• The use of chiropractic therapy in treating back pain of pregnant women
• The efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine such as Shun-Qi-Tong-Xie (SQTX) in treating digestive disorders in China
• The impact of yoga on physical and mental health in adolescents
• The benefits of hydrotherapy in treating musculoskeletal disorders such as tendinitis
• The role of Reiki in promoting healing and relaxation post birth
• The effectiveness of naturopathy in treating skin conditions such as eczema
• The use of deep tissue massage therapy in reducing chronic pain in amputees
• The impact of tai chi on the treatment of anxiety and depression
• The benefits of reflexology in treating stress, anxiety and chronic fatigue
• The role of acupuncture in the prophylactic management of headaches and migraines

Topics & Ideas: Dentistry

• The impact of sugar consumption on the oral health of infants
• The use of digital dentistry in improving patient care: A systematic review
• The efficacy of orthodontic treatments in correcting bite problems in adults
• The role of dental hygiene in preventing gum disease in patients with dental bridges
• The impact of smoking on oral health and tobacco cessation support from UK dentists
• The benefits of dental implants in restoring missing teeth in adolescents
• The use of lasers in dental procedures such as root canals
• The efficacy of root canal treatment using high-frequency electric pulses in saving infected teeth
• The role of fluoride in promoting remineralization and slowing down demineralization
• The impact of stress-induced reflux on oral health
• The benefits of dental crowns in restoring damaged teeth in elderly patients
• The use of sedation dentistry in managing dental anxiety in children
• The efficacy of teeth whitening treatments in improving dental aesthetics in patients with braces
• The role of orthodontic appliances in improving well-being
• The impact of periodontal disease on overall health and chronic illnesses

Tops & Ideas: Veterinary Medicine

• The impact of nutrition on broiler chicken production
• The role of vaccines in disease prevention in horses
• The importance of parasite control in animal health in piggeries
• The impact of animal behaviour on welfare in the dairy industry
• The effects of environmental pollution on the health of cattle
• The role of veterinary technology such as MRI in animal care
• The importance of pain management in post-surgery health outcomes
• The impact of genetics on animal health and disease in layer chickens
• The effectiveness of alternative therapies in veterinary medicine: A systematic review
• The role of veterinary medicine in public health: A case study of the COVID-19 pandemic
• The impact of climate change on animal health and infectious diseases in animals
• The importance of animal welfare in veterinary medicine and sustainable agriculture
• The effects of the human-animal bond on canine health
• The role of veterinary medicine in conservation efforts: A case study of Rhinoceros poaching in Africa
• The impact of veterinary research of new vaccines on animal health

Topics & Ideas: Physical Therapy/Rehab

• The efficacy of aquatic therapy in improving joint mobility and strength in polio patients
• The impact of telerehabilitation on patient outcomes in Germany
• The effect of kinesiotaping on reducing knee pain and improving function in individuals with chronic pain
• A comparison of manual therapy and yoga exercise therapy in the management of low back pain
• The use of wearable technology in physical rehabilitation and the impact on patient adherence to a rehabilitation plan
• The impact of mindfulness-based interventions in physical therapy in adolescents
• The effects of resistance training on individuals with Parkinson’s disease
• The role of hydrotherapy in the management of fibromyalgia
• The impact of cognitive-behavioural therapy in physical rehabilitation for individuals with chronic pain
• The use of virtual reality in physical rehabilitation of sports injuries
• The effects of electrical stimulation on muscle function and strength in athletes
• The role of physical therapy in the management of stroke recovery: A systematic review
• The impact of pilates on mental health in individuals with depression
• The use of thermal modalities in physical therapy and its effectiveness in reducing pain and inflammation
• The effect of strength training on balance and gait in elderly patients

Topics & Ideas: Optometry & Opthalmology

• The impact of screen time on the vision and ocular health of children under the age of 5
• The effects of blue light exposure from digital devices on ocular health
• The role of dietary interventions, such as the intake of whole grains, in the management of age-related macular degeneration
• The use of telemedicine in optometry and ophthalmology in the UK
• The impact of myopia control interventions on African American children’s vision
• The use of contact lenses in the management of dry eye syndrome: different treatment options
• The effects of visual rehabilitation in individuals with traumatic brain injury
• The role of low vision rehabilitation in individuals with age-related vision loss: challenges and solutions
• The impact of environmental air pollution on ocular health
• The effectiveness of orthokeratology in myopia control compared to contact lenses
• The role of dietary supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acids, in ocular health
• The effects of ultraviolet radiation exposure from tanning beds on ocular health
• The impact of computer vision syndrome on long-term visual function
• The use of novel diagnostic tools in optometry and ophthalmology in developing countries
• The effects of virtual reality on visual perception and ocular health: an examination of dry eye syndrome and neurologic symptoms

Topics & Ideas: Pharmacy & Pharmacology

• The impact of medication adherence on patient outcomes in cystic fibrosis
• The use of personalized medicine in the management of chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease
• The effects of pharmacogenomics on drug response and toxicity in cancer patients
• The role of pharmacists in the management of chronic pain in primary care
• The impact of drug-drug interactions on patient mental health outcomes
• The use of telepharmacy in healthcare: Present status and future potential
• The effects of herbal and dietary supplements on drug efficacy and toxicity
• The role of pharmacists in the management of type 1 diabetes
• The impact of medication errors on patient outcomes and satisfaction
• The use of technology in medication management in the USA
• The effects of smoking on drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics: A case study of clozapine
• Leveraging the role of pharmacists in preventing and managing opioid use disorder
• The impact of the opioid epidemic on public health in a developing country
• The use of biosimilars in the management of the skin condition psoriasis
• The effects of the Affordable Care Act on medication utilization and patient outcomes in African Americans

Topics & Ideas: Public Health

• The impact of the built environment and urbanisation on physical activity and obesity
• The effects of food insecurity on health outcomes in Zimbabwe
• The role of community-based participatory research in addressing health disparities
• The impact of social determinants of health, such as racism, on population health
• The effects of heat waves on public health
• The role of telehealth in addressing healthcare access and equity in South America
• The impact of gun violence on public health in South Africa
• The effects of chlorofluorocarbons air pollution on respiratory health
• The role of public health interventions in reducing health disparities in the USA
• The impact of the United States Affordable Care Act on access to healthcare and health outcomes
• The effects of water insecurity on health outcomes in the Middle East
• The role of community health workers in addressing healthcare access and equity in low-income countries
• The impact of mass incarceration on public health and behavioural health of a community
• The effects of floods on public health and healthcare systems
• The role of social media in public health communication and behaviour change in adolescents

Examples: Healthcare Dissertation & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a healthcare-related research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various healthcare-related degree programs to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• Improving Follow-Up Care for Homeless Populations in North County San Diego (Sanchez, 2021)
• On the Incentives of Medicare’s Hospital Reimbursement and an Examination of Exchangeability (Elzinga, 2016)
• Managing the healthcare crisis: the career narratives of nurses (Krueger, 2021)
• Methods for preventing central line-associated bloodstream infection in pediatric haematology-oncology patients: A systematic literature review (Balkan, 2020)
• Farms in Healthcare: Enhancing Knowledge, Sharing, and Collaboration (Garramone, 2019)
• When machine learning meets healthcare: towards knowledge incorporation in multimodal healthcare analytics (Yuan, 2020)
• Integrated behavioural healthcare: The future of rural mental health (Fox, 2019)
• Healthcare service use patterns among autistic adults: A systematic review with narrative synthesis (Gilmore, 2021)
• Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Combatting Burnout and Compassionate Fatigue among Mental Health Caregivers (Lundquist, 2022)
• Transgender and gender-diverse people’s perceptions of gender-inclusive healthcare access and associated hope for the future (Wille, 2021)
• Efficient Neural Network Synthesis and Its Application in Smart Healthcare (Hassantabar, 2022)
• The Experience of Female Veterans and Health-Seeking Behaviors (Switzer, 2022)
• Machine learning applications towards risk prediction and cost forecasting in healthcare (Singh, 2022)
• Does Variation in the Nursing Home Inspection Process Explain Disparity in Regulatory Outcomes? (Fox, 2020)

Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are quite specific and narrowly-focused , compared to the generic ones presented earlier. This is an important thing to keep in mind as you develop your own research topic. That is to say, to create a top-notch research topic, you must be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest . In other words, you need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.

Need more help?

If you’re still feeling a bit unsure about how to find a research topic for your healthcare dissertation or thesis, check out Topic Kickstarter service below.

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15 Comments

I need topics that will match the Msc program am running in healthcare research please

Hello Mabel,

I can help you with a good topic, kindly provide your email let’s have a good discussion on this.

Can you provide some research topics and ideas on Immunology?

Thank you to create new knowledge on research problem verse research topic

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can you provide me with a research topic on healthcare related topics to a qqi level 5 student

Please can someone help me with research topics in public health ?

Hello I have requirement of Health related latest research issue/topics for my social media speeches. If possible pls share health issues , diagnosis, treatment.

I would like a topic thought around first-line support for Gender-Based Violence for survivors or one related to prevention of Gender-Based Violence

Please can I be helped with a master’s research topic in either chemical pathology or hematology or immunology? thanks

Can u please provide me with a research topic on occupational health and safety at the health sector

Good day kindly help provide me with Ph.D. Public health topics on Reproductive and Maternal Health, interventional studies on Health Education

may you assist me with a good easy healthcare administration study topic

May you assist me in finding a research topic on nutrition,physical activity and obesity. On the impact on children

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77 interesting medical research topics for 2024

Last updated

25 November 2023

Reviewed by

Brittany Ferri, PhD, OTR/L

Medical research is the gateway to improved patient care and expanding our available treatment options. However, finding a relevant and compelling research topic can be challenging.

Use this article as a jumping-off point to select an interesting medical research topic for your next paper or clinical study.

• How to choose a medical research topic

When choosing a research topic , it’s essential to consider a couple of things. What topics interest you? What unanswered questions do you want to address? 

During the decision-making and brainstorming process, here are a few helpful tips to help you pick the right medical research topic:

Focus on a particular field of study

The best medical research is specific to a particular area. Generalized studies are often too broad to produce meaningful results, so we advise picking a specific niche early in the process. 

Maybe a certain topic interests you, or your industry knowledge reveals areas of need.

Look into commonly researched topics

Once you’ve chosen your research field, do some preliminary research. What have other academics done in their papers and projects? 

From this list, you can focus on specific topics that interest you without accidentally creating a copycat project. This groundwork will also help you uncover any literature gaps—those may be beneficial areas for research.

Get curious and ask questions

Now you can get curious. Ask questions that start with why, how, or what. These questions are the starting point of your project design and will act as your guiding light throughout the process. 

For example: 

What impact does pollution have on children’s lung function in inner-city neighborhoods? 

Why is pollution-based asthma on the rise? 

How can we address pollution-induced asthma in young children? 

• 77 medical research topics worth exploring in 2023

Need some research inspiration for your upcoming paper or clinical study? We’ve compiled a list of 77 topical and in-demand medical research ideas. Let’s take a look. 

• Exciting new medical research topics

If you want to study cutting-edge topics, here are some exciting options:

COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms

Since 2020, COVID-19 has been a hot-button topic in medicine, along with the long-term symptoms in those with a history of COVID-19. 

Examples of COVID-19-related research topics worth exploring include:

The long-term impact of COVID-19 on cardiac and respiratory health

COVID-19 vaccination rates

The evolution of COVID-19 symptoms over time

New variants and strains of the COVID-19 virus

Changes in social behavior and public health regulations amid COVID-19

Vaccinations

Finding ways to cure or reduce the disease burden of chronic infectious diseases is a crucial research area. Vaccination is a powerful option and a great topic to research. 

Examples of vaccination-related research topics include:

mRNA vaccines for viral infections

Biomaterial vaccination capabilities

Vaccination rates based on location, ethnicity, or age

Public opinion about vaccination safety 

Artificial tissues fabrication

With the need for donor organs increasing, finding ways to fabricate artificial bioactive tissues (and possibly organs) is a popular research area. 

Examples of artificial tissue-related research topics you can study include:

The viability of artificially printed tissues

Tissue substrate and building block material studies

The ethics and efficacy of artificial tissue creation

• Medical research topics for medical students

For many medical students, research is a big driver for entering healthcare. If you’re a medical student looking for a research topic, here are some great ideas to work from:

Sleep disorders

Poor sleep quality is a growing problem, and it can significantly impact a person’s overall health. 

Examples of sleep disorder-related research topics include:

How stress affects sleep quality

The prevalence and impact of insomnia on patients with mental health conditions

Possible triggers for sleep disorder development

The impact of poor sleep quality on psychological and physical health

How melatonin supplements impact sleep quality

Alzheimer’s and dementia 

Cognitive conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are on the rise worldwide. They currently have no cure. As a result, research about these topics is in high demand. 

Examples of dementia-related research topics you could explore include:

The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in a chosen population

Early onset symptoms of dementia

Possible triggers or causes of cognitive decline with age

Treatment options for dementia-like conditions

The mental and physical burden of caregiving for patients with dementia

• Lifestyle habits and public health

Modern lifestyles have profoundly impacted the average person’s daily habits, and plenty of interesting topics explore its effects. 

Examples of lifestyle and public health-related research topics include:

The nutritional intake of college students

The impact of chronic work stress on overall health

The rise of upper back and neck pain from laptop use

Prevalence and cause of repetitive strain injuries (RSI)

• Controversial medical research paper topics

Medical research is a hotbed of controversial topics, content, and areas of study. 

If you want to explore a more niche (and attention-grabbing) concept, here are some controversial medical research topics worth looking into:

The benefits and risks of medical cannabis

Depending on where you live, the legalization and use of cannabis for medical conditions is controversial for the general public and healthcare providers.

Examples of medical cannabis-related research topics that might grab your attention include:

The legalization process of medical cannabis

The impact of cannabis use on developmental milestones in youth users

Cannabis and mental health diagnoses

CBD’s impact on chronic pain

Prevalence of cannabis use in young people

The impact of maternal cannabis use on fetal development 

Understanding how THC impacts cognitive function

Human genetics

The Human Genome Project identified, mapped, and sequenced all human DNA genes. Its completion in 2003 opened up a world of exciting and controversial studies in human genetics.

Examples of human genetics-related research topics worth delving into include:

Medical genetics and the incidence of genetic-based health disorders

Behavioral genetics differences between identical twins

Genetic risk factors for neurodegenerative disorders

Machine learning technologies for genetic research

Sexual health studies

Human sexuality and sexual health are important (yet often stigmatized) medical topics that need new research and analysis.

As a diverse field ranging from sexual orientation studies to sexual pathophysiology, examples of sexual health-related research topics include:

The incidence of sexually transmitted infections within a chosen population

Mental health conditions within the LGBTQIA+ community

The impact of untreated sexually transmitted infections

Access to safe sex resources (condoms, dental dams, etc.) in rural areas

• Health and wellness research topics

Human wellness and health are trendy topics in modern medicine as more people are interested in finding natural ways to live healthier lifestyles. 

If this field of study interests you, here are some big topics in the wellness space:

Gluten sensitivity

Gluten allergies and intolerances have risen over the past few decades. If you’re interested in exploring this topic, your options range in severity from mild gastrointestinal symptoms to full-blown anaphylaxis. 

Some examples of gluten sensitivity-related research topics include:

The pathophysiology and incidence of Celiac disease

Early onset symptoms of gluten intolerance

The prevalence of gluten allergies within a set population

Gluten allergies and the incidence of other gastrointestinal health conditions

Pollution and lung health

Living in large urban cities means regular exposure to high levels of pollutants. 

As more people become interested in protecting their lung health, examples of impactful lung health and pollution-related research topics include:

The extent of pollution in densely packed urban areas

The prevalence of pollution-based asthma in a set population

Lung capacity and function in young people

The benefits and risks of steroid therapy for asthma

Pollution risks based on geographical location

Plant-based diets

Plant-based diets like vegan and paleo diets are emerging trends in healthcare due to their limited supporting research. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the potential benefits or risks of holistic, diet-based medicine, examples of plant-based diet research topics to explore include:

Vegan and plant-based diets as part of disease management

Potential risks and benefits of specific plant-based diets

Plant-based diets and their impact on body mass index

The effect of diet and lifestyle on chronic disease management

Health supplements

Supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry. Many health-conscious people take supplements, including vitamins, minerals, herbal medicine, and more. 

Examples of health supplement-related research topics worth investigating include:

Omega-3 fish oil safety and efficacy for cardiac patients

The benefits and risks of regular vitamin D supplementation

Health supplementation regulation and product quality

The impact of social influencer marketing on consumer supplement practices

Analyzing added ingredients in protein powders

• Healthcare research topics

Working within the healthcare industry means you have insider knowledge and opportunity. Maybe you’d like to research the overall system, administration, and inherent biases that disrupt access to quality care. 

While these topics are essential to explore, it is important to note that these studies usually require approval and oversight from an Institutional Review Board (IRB). This ensures the study is ethical and does not harm any subjects. 

For this reason, the IRB sets protocols that require additional planning, so consider this when mapping out your study’s timeline. 

Here are some examples of trending healthcare research areas worth pursuing:

The pros and cons of electronic health records

The rise of electronic healthcare charting and records has forever changed how medical professionals and patients interact with their health data. 

Examples of electronic health record-related research topics include:

The number of medication errors reported during a software switch

Nurse sentiment analysis of electronic charting practices

Ethical and legal studies into encrypting and storing personal health data

Inequities within healthcare access

Many barriers inhibit people from accessing the quality medical care they need. These issues result in health disparities and injustices. 

Examples of research topics about health inequities include:

The impact of social determinants of health in a set population

Early and late-stage cancer stage diagnosis in urban vs. rural populations

Affordability of life-saving medications

Health insurance limitations and their impact on overall health

Diagnostic and treatment rates across ethnicities

People who belong to an ethnic minority are more likely to experience barriers and restrictions when trying to receive quality medical care. This is due to systemic healthcare racism and bias. 

As a result, diagnostic and treatment rates in minority populations are a hot-button field of research. Examples of ethnicity-based research topics include:

Cancer biopsy rates in BIPOC women

The prevalence of diabetes in Indigenous communities

Access inequalities in women’s health preventative screenings

The prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension in Black populations

• Pharmaceutical research topics

Large pharmaceutical companies are incredibly interested in investing in research to learn more about potential cures and treatments for diseases. 

If you’re interested in building a career in pharmaceutical research, here are a few examples of in-demand research topics:

Cancer treatment options

Clinical research is in high demand as pharmaceutical companies explore novel cancer treatment options outside of chemotherapy and radiation. 

Examples of cancer treatment-related research topics include:

Stem cell therapy for cancer

Oncogenic gene dysregulation and its impact on disease

Cancer-causing viral agents and their risks

Treatment efficacy based on early vs. late-stage cancer diagnosis

Cancer vaccines and targeted therapies

Immunotherapy for cancer

Pain medication alternatives

Historically, opioid medications were the primary treatment for short- and long-term pain. But, with the opioid epidemic getting worse, the need for alternative pain medications has never been more urgent. 

Examples of pain medication-related research topics include:

Opioid withdrawal symptoms and risks

Early signs of pain medication misuse

Anti-inflammatory medications for pain control

• Identify trends in your medical research with Dovetail

Are you interested in contributing life-changing research? Today’s medical research is part of the future of clinical patient care. 

As your go-to resource for speedy and accurate data analysis , we are proud to partner with healthcare researchers to innovate and improve the future of healthcare.

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Do you want to discover previous research faster?

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Start for free today, add your research, and get to key insights faster

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151+ Public Health Research Topics [Updated 2024]

The important area of public health research is essential to forming laws, influencing medical procedures, and eventually enhancing community well-being. As we delve into the vast landscape of public health research topics, it’s essential to understand the profound impact they have on society.

This blog aims to provide a comprehensive guide to selecting and understanding the diverse array of public health research topics.

Overview of Public Health Research Topics

Table of Contents

Public health research encompasses a wide range of subjects, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the field. From epidemiology and health policy to environmental health and infectious diseases, researchers navigate through various dimensions to address complex health challenges.

Each category holds its own significance, contributing to the overall understanding of public health dynamics.

Key Considerations in Selecting Public Health Research Topics

• Current Relevance: Assess the timeliness of potential topics by considering recent health trends, emerging issues, and societal concerns.
• Impact on Public Health: Evaluate the potential impact of the research on improving health outcomes, addressing disparities, or influencing policy and interventions.
• Feasibility and Resources: Gauge the practicality of conducting research on a particular topic, considering available resources, data accessibility, and research infrastructure.
• Ethical Considerations: Scrutinize the ethical implications of the research, ensuring it aligns with ethical standards and guidelines, especially when dealing with vulnerable populations or sensitive topics.

Top 151+ Public Health Research Topics

Epidemiology.

• The Impact of Social Determinants on Disease Outcomes
• Patterns and Trends in Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Investigating Health Disparities among Different Ethnic Groups
• Childhood Obesity and its Long-Term Health Consequences
• Assessing the Effectiveness of Contact Tracing in Disease Control

Health Policy

• Universal Healthcare: Comparative Analysis of Global Models
• The Role of Telemedicine in Improving Healthcare Access
• Evaluating Mental Health Policies and Their Impact on Communities
• Assessing the Impact of Affordable Care Act on Public Health
• Vaccine Policies and Public Perception: A Comprehensive Study

Environmental Health

• Climate Change and Health: Adapting to the Challenges
• Air Quality and Respiratory Health in Urban Environments
• Waterborne Diseases and Strategies for Safe Water Supply
• Occupational Health Hazards: A Comprehensive Workplace Analysis
• The Impact of Green Spaces on Mental Health in Urban Areas

Infectious Diseases

• Antimicrobial Resistance: Strategies for Mitigation
• Vaccination Strategies and Herd Immunity
• Global Health Security: Preparedness for Pandemics
• The Impact of Vector-Borne Diseases on Public Health
• Emerging Trends in Antibiotic-Resistant Infections

Chronic Diseases

• Lifestyle Interventions for Preventing Cardiovascular Diseases
• Genetic Factors in the Development of Cancer: A Comprehensive Study
• Aging and Health: Addressing the Healthcare Needs of the Elderly
• Diabetes Prevention Programs: Efficacy and Implementation
• Mental Health in Chronic Disease Patients: Bridging the Gap

Maternal and Child Health

• Maternal Mortality: Understanding Causes and Prevention
• The Impact of Breastfeeding on Infant Health and Development
• Childhood Immunization: Barriers and Strategies for Improvement
• Teenage Pregnancy and Its Long-Term Health Consequences
• Mental Health Support for Postpartum Women: Current Gaps and Solutions

Health Behavior and Promotion

• Smoking Cessation Programs: Effectiveness and Challenges
• Physical Activity Promotion in Schools: Strategies for Success
• Nutrition Education and Its Impact on Healthy Eating Habits
• Mental Health Awareness Campaigns: Assessing Public Perceptions
• The Role of Social Media in Health Promotion

Global Health

• Assessing the Impact of International Aid on Global Health
• Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Programs in Developing Countries
• The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Global Health
• Communicable Disease Control in Refugee Populations
• Global Access to Essential Medicines: Challenges and Solutions

Community Health

• Community-Based Participatory Research: Best Practices and Challenges
• The Impact of Community Health Workers on Health Outcomes
• Health Literacy and its Relationship to Health Disparities
• Assessing the Effectiveness of Mobile Health (mHealth) Interventions
• Community Resilience in the Face of Public Health Crises

Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety

• Hospital-Acquired Infections: Strategies for Prevention
• Patient Safety Culture in Healthcare Organizations
• Quality Improvement Initiatives in Primary Care Settings
• Healthcare Accreditation: Impact on Patient Outcomes
• Implementing Electronic Health Records: Challenges and Benefits

Mental Health

• Stigma Reduction Programs for Mental Health Disorders
• Integrating Mental Health into Primary Care Settings
• The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health: Long-Term Implications
• Mental Health in the Workplace: Strategies for Employee Well-being
• Suicide Prevention Programs: Effectiveness and Outreach

Health Disparities

• Racial Disparities in Healthcare: Addressing Systemic Inequities
• LGBTQ+ Health Disparities and Inclusive Healthcare Practices
• Socioeconomic Status and Access to Healthcare Services
• Geographical Disparities in Health: Rural vs. Urban
• The Impact of Gender on Health Outcomes and Access to Care

Public Health Education

• Evaluation of Public Health Education Programs
• Innovative Approaches to Teaching Public Health Concepts
• Online Health Education Platforms: Opportunities and Challenges
• Interdisciplinary Training in Public Health: Bridging Gaps
• Continuing Education for Public Health Professionals: Current Landscape

Digital Health

• The Role of Wearable Devices in Health Monitoring
• Telehealth Adoption: Barriers and Opportunities
• Health Apps for Chronic Disease Management: User Perspectives
• Blockchain Technology in Healthcare: Privacy and Security Implications
• Artificial Intelligence in Disease Diagnosis and Prediction

Health Economics

• Cost-Effectiveness of Preventive Health Interventions
• The Impact of Healthcare Financing Models on Access to Care
• Pharmaceutical Pricing and Access to Essential Medicines
• Economic Evaluation of Health Promotion Programs
• Health Insurance Coverage and Health Outcomes: A Global Perspective

Innovations in Public Health

• 3D Printing in Healthcare: Applications and Future Prospects
• Gene Editing Technologies and their Ethical Implications
• Smart Cities and Public Health: Integrating Technology for Well-being
• Nanotechnology in Medicine: Potential for Disease Treatment
• The Role of Drones in Public Health: Surveillance and Intervention

Food Safety and Nutrition

• Foodborne Illness Outbreaks: Investigating Causes and Prevention
• Sustainable Food Systems: Implications for Public Health
• Nutritional Interventions for Malnutrition in Developing Countries
• Food Labeling and Consumer Understanding: A Critical Review
• The Impact of Fast Food Consumption on Public Health

Substance Abuse

• Opioid Epidemic: Strategies for Prevention and Treatment
• Harm Reduction Approaches in Substance Abuse Programs
• Alcohol Consumption Patterns and Public Health Outcomes
• Smoking and Mental Health: Exploring the Connection
• Novel Psychoactive Substances: Emerging Threats and Strategies

Occupational Health

• Workplace Stress and Mental Health: Intervention Strategies
• Occupational Hazards in Healthcare Professions: A Comparative Analysis
• Ergonomics in the Workplace: Improving Worker Health and Productivity
• Night Shift Work and Health Consequences: Addressing Challenges
• Occupational Health and Safety Regulations: A Global Overview

Disaster Preparedness and Response

• Pandemic Preparedness and Lessons from COVID-19
• Natural Disasters and Mental Health: Post-Traumatic Stress
• Emergency Response Systems: Improving Timeliness and Efficiency
• Communicating Health Risks During Emergencies: Public Perception
• Collaborative Approaches to Disaster Response in Global Health

Cancer Research

• Precision Medicine in Cancer Treatment: Current Advancements
• Cancer Screening Programs: Efficacy and Challenges
• Environmental Factors and Cancer Risk: Exploring Connections
• Survivorship Care Plans: Enhancing Quality of Life after Cancer
• Integrative Therapies in Cancer Care: Complementary Approaches

Sexual and Reproductive Health

• Access to Contraception in Developing Countries: Challenges and Solutions
• Comprehensive Sex Education Programs: Impact on Teen Pregnancy
• Reproductive Health Rights: Global Perspectives and Challenges
• Infertility Treatment: Ethical Considerations and Societal Impact
• Maternal and Child Health in Conflict Zones: Addressing Challenges

Cardiovascular Health

• Hypertension Prevention Programs: Strategies and Effectiveness
• Cardiovascular Disease in Women: Gender-Specific Risk Factors
• Innovations in Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs
• Artificial Heart Technology: Advancements and Ethical Implications
• Impact of Air Pollution on Cardiovascular Health: A Global Concern

Social Determinants of Health

• Educational Attainment and Health Outcomes: Exploring Links
• Income Inequality and its Impact on Population Health
• Social Support Networks and Mental Health: A Comprehensive Study
• Neighborhood Environments and Health Disparities
• Employment and Health: The Interplay of Work and Well-being

Genomics and Public Health

• Population Genomics and its Implications for Public Health
• Genetic Counseling and Education: Empowering Individuals and Families
• Ethical Issues in Genetic Research: Privacy and Informed Consent
• Pharmacogenomics: Tailoring Drug Therapies to Individual Genotypes
• Gene-Environment Interactions in Disease Risk: Unraveling Complexities

Public Health Ethics

• Informed Consent in Public Health Research: Current Practices
• Ethical Challenges in Global Health Research: Balancing Priorities
• Confidentiality in Public Health Reporting: Striking the Right Balance
• Research with Vulnerable Populations: Ethical Considerations
• Ethical Implications of Emerging Technologies in Healthcare

Health Communication

• The Role of Media in Shaping Public Health Perceptions
• Health Literacy Interventions: Improving Understanding of Health Information
• Social Media Campaigns for Public Health Promotion: Best Practices
• Tailoring Health Messages for Diverse Audiences: Cultural Competency
• Risk Communication in Public Health Emergencies: Lessons Learned

Nutrigenomics

• Personalized Nutrition Plans based on Genetic Makeup
• Impact of Nutrigenomics on Chronic Disease Prevention
• Ethical Considerations in Nutrigenomics Research
• Public Perceptions of Nutrigenomic Testing: A Qualitative Study
• Integrating Nutrigenomics into Public Health Policies

Public Health and Artificial Intelligence

• Predictive Analytics in Disease Surveillance: Harnessing AI for Early Detection
• Ethical Considerations in AI-Driven Health Decision Support Systems
• Machine Learning in Epidemiology: Predicting Disease Outbreaks
• Natural Language Processing in Public Health: Text Mining for Insights
• Bias in AI Algorithms: Implications for Health Equity

Health Disparities in Aging

• Geriatric Health Disparities: Bridging the Gap in Elderly Care
• Ageism in Healthcare: Addressing Stereotypes and Discrimination
• Social Isolation and Health Consequences in Aging Populations
• Access to Palliative Care for Older Adults: A Global Perspective
• Alzheimer’s Disease and Ethnic Disparities in Diagnosis and Treatment
• Loneliness and Mental Health in the Elderly: Interventions and Support

Research Methodologies in Public Health

Public health research employs various methodologies, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches. Each method brings its own strengths to the research process, allowing researchers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex issues they investigate. 

Community-based participatory research is another valuable approach, emphasizing collaboration with communities to address their specific health concerns.

Challenges and Opportunities in Public Health Research

While public health research is immensely rewarding, it comes with its own set of challenges. Funding constraints, ethical dilemmas, the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, and the integration of technology pose both obstacles and opportunities. 

Researchers must navigate these challenges to ensure their work has a meaningful impact on public health.

In conclusion, public health research topics are diverse and dynamic, reflecting the complex nature of the field. As researchers embark on their journeys, they must carefully consider the relevance, impact, and ethical implications of their chosen topics. 

The collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of public health research positions it as a powerful tool in addressing the health challenges of our time. By exploring the depths of these topics, researchers contribute to the collective effort to build healthier and more equitable communities. 

As we move forward, a continued exploration of relevant public health research topics is essential for shaping the future of healthcare and improving the well-being of populations worldwide.

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Exploring community health nursing research topics: a comprehensive guide for nursing students, carla johnson.

• August 25, 2023
• Essay Topics and Ideas

Community health nursing is a dynamic and vital field within the nursing profession, focused on providing holistic care to populations within a defined community. This specialized branch of nursing goes beyond individual patient care, extending its reach to families, groups, and entire communities. This article will delve into community health nursing, explore its significance, and provide valuable resources for nursing students to engage in research, evidence-based practice (EBP) projects, capstone projects, research paper topics, research questions, and essay ideas.

What You'll Learn

Understanding Community Health Nursing: A Holistic Approach

Community health nursing emphasizes preventive care , health promotion, and disease prevention within a specific community. This holistic approach involves understanding the community’s unique needs, cultures, and challenges to provide targeted interventions that improve health outcomes. As nursing students, you will find this field to be a gateway to understanding the broader healthcare landscape and the interconnectedness of various factors that influence health.

PICOT Questions on Community Health Nursing

• P: Adult population in psychiatric care ; I: Implementation of daily RS questionnaire; C: Units without the daily survey; O: Reduction in utilization of restraint and seclusion; T: 6 months. Can the implementation of a daily RS (Restraint and Seclusion) questionnaire for adults in psychiatric care lead to a significant decrease in the utilization of restraint and seclusion within a period of 6 months?
• P: Pediatric population in school settings; I: Introduction of daily exercise regimen; C: Schools without daily exercise; O: Improvement in BMI and overall fitness; T: 1 academic year. Does introducing a daily exercise regimen in school settings for pediatric populations result in a noticeable improvement in BMI and overall fitness over the course of 1 academic year?
• P: Elderly population in assisted living facilities; I: Implementation of fall prevention program; C: Facilities without fall prevention program; O: Reduction in fall-related injuries; T: 1 year. Is there a significant reduction in fall-related injuries among the elderly residing in assisted living facilities after the implementation of a comprehensive fall prevention program within 1 year?
• P: Low-income pregnant women; I: Provision of prenatal education classes; C: Those without access to prenatal education; O: Increase in prenatal knowledge and healthier pregnancy outcomes; T: Throughout gestation. Can providing prenatal education classes to low-income pregnant women lead to increased prenatal knowledge and improved pregnancy outcomes when compared to those without access to such education?
• P: Diabetic population within the community; I: Establishment of a mobile diabetic clinic; C: No mobile clinic available; O: Enhanced diabetic management and reduced hospitalizations; T: 2 years. Does the establishment of a mobile diabetic clinic within the community lead to better diabetic management and a decrease in hospitalizations over a span of 2 years?
• P: Adolescent population in schools; I: Implementation of comprehensive sexual education; C: Schools with standard sexual education; O: Reduction in teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs); T: 3 years. Over a period of 3 years, does the implementation of comprehensive sexual education in schools result in a significant decrease in the rates of teen pregnancies and STIs among adolescents compared to schools with standard sexual education?
• P: Homeless population; I: Launch of mobile healthcare unit; C: No access to regular healthcare; O: Improvement in overall health status and decrease in emergency room visits; T: 1 year. Can the introduction of a mobile healthcare unit for the homeless population improve their overall health status and a noticeable reduction in emergency room visits within a year?
• P: Rural elderly population; I: Initiation of telehealth services ; C: Lack of telehealth services; O: Enhanced access to healthcare and better management of chronic conditions; T: 18 months. Does the introduction of telehealth services for the rural elderly population lead to increased access to healthcare services and improved management of chronic conditions over the course of 18 months?
• P: New mothers; I: Implementation of postpartum support groups; C: No postpartum support groups available; O: Reduction in postpartum depression rates and improved maternal well-being; T: 1 year. Can the implementation of postpartum support groups for new mothers lead to a significant reduction in postpartum depression rates and an overall improvement in maternal well-being within a year?
• P: LGBTQ+ youth; I: Creating safe spaces in schools; C: Absence of designated safe spaces; O: Decreased mental health challenges and higher academic achievement; T: Ongoing. Does creating safe spaces within schools for LGBTQ+ youth lead to a noticeable decrease in mental health challenges and a rise in academic achievement over an ongoing period?

Evidence-Based Practice Projects Ideas

• Evaluating the effectiveness of community-wide vaccination drives in reducing vaccine-preventable diseases.
• Assessing the impact of a smoke-free policy in public spaces on community members’ respiratory health.
• Investigating the outcomes of a nutrition education program in improving dietary habits among low-income families.
• Analyzing the effectiveness of a community-based mental health awareness campaign in reducing stigma and increasing help-seeking behavior.
• Exploring the outcomes of a diabetes management intervention using mobile health apps in urban communities.
• Studying the effects of a community gardening initiative on physical activity levels and nutrition awareness.
• Investigating the utilization and impact of telemedicine services in remote rural areas.
• Assessing the benefits of a community fitness program on cardiovascular health and overall well-being.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of a school-based anti-bullying campaign on students’ mental health.
• Analyzing the outcomes of a community-driven initiative to increase access to clean drinking water in underserved areas.

Nursing Capstone Project Ideas

• Developing a comprehensive disaster preparedness plan for a local community.
• Designing and implementing a culturally sensitive prenatal care program for immigrant populations.
• Creating a curriculum for training community health workers in identifying and addressing social determinants of health.
• Establishing a support network for caregivers of elderly individuals living at home.
• Designing a mental health first aid training program for community leaders and volunteers.
• Implementing a community-based program to promote physical activity among children with obesity.
• Creating a resource guide for LGBTQ+ youth to access healthcare services without discrimination.
• Developing a community-wide initiative to combat opioid misuse and overdose.
• Establishing a telehealth platform for remote health consultations in underserved regions.
• Designing a comprehensive sexual education curriculum for high schools to address varying cultural norms.

Nursing Research Paper Topics

• The impact of community health nursing interventions on reducing health disparities .
• Exploring the role of community health nurses in disaster response and recovery.
• Analyzing the effectiveness of school-based health clinics in improving student health outcomes.
• Investigating the barriers and facilitators of healthcare access in underserved rural communities.
• The role of community health nursing in promoting healthy aging and elderly care.
• Addressing mental health stigma through community-based interventions led by nurses.
• Analyzing the outcomes of community health education programs on reducing tobacco use .
• Exploring the relationship between community engagement and positive maternal-child health outcomes.
• The effectiveness of telehealth services in bridging healthcare gaps in remote areas.
• Investigating the impact of community health nursing in preventing and managing chronic diseases.

Community Health Nursing Research Questions

• How does the presence of community health nurses influence health outcomes in underserved urban neighborhoods?
• What are the key components of successful school-based vaccination programs , and how do they impact disease prevention?
• How do cultural competence and sensitivity affect the effectiveness of community health nursing interventions?
• What are the main challenges community health nurses face in addressing social determinants of health ?
• How does community engagement contribute to the sustainability of community health initiatives led by nurses?
• What strategies effectively promote mental health awareness and reduce stigma within communities?
• How do telehealth services improve access to healthcare for individuals in geographically isolated regions?
• What role do community health nurses play in detecting and managing chronic diseases ?
• How do community health interventions impact healthcare utilization patterns and costs?
• What are the outcomes of community health nursing programs focused on improving maternal and child health?

Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

• The Role of Community Health Nursing in Promoting Population Health.
• Addressing Health Disparities: The Impact of Community Health Nursing.
• Community-Based Approaches to Preventing Teenage Pregnancy .
• Telehealth: Bridging Healthcare Gaps in Underserved Communities.
• Cultural Competence in Community Health Nursing: Challenges and Strategies.
• Disaster Preparedness and Response: The Critical Role of Community Health Nurses.
• The Influence of Social Determinants of Health on Community Health Nursing Interventions.
• Community Health Education: Strategies for Promoting Healthy Lifestyles.
• Exploring the Connection Between Mental Health and Community Well-being.
• Innovations in Community Health Nursing: Harnessing Technology for Better Outcomes.

As nursing students, you are poised to become the next generation of community health nurses, armed with the knowledge and skills to impact the health and well-being of diverse populations positively. Community health nursing offers numerous opportunities for research, practice, and advocacy. By delving into PICOT questions, evidence-based practice projects, capstone projects, research paper topics, and research questions, you can deepen your understanding of this vital field and contribute to its growth. Don’t hesitate to seek our writing services if you need assistance with your community health nursing assignments or essays. We understand the demands of nursing education and are here to support you in your academic journey. Your dedication to improving community health is commendable, and together, we can pave the way for healthier, more vibrant communities.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Community Health Nursing

• Is community health nursing the same as nursing? Community health nursing is a specialized branch of nursing that focuses on providing holistic care to populations within specific communities. While nursing is a broader field encompassing various specialties, community health nursing is distinct in its emphasis on preventive care and health promotion within communities.
• What are the qualifications of a community health nursing? To practice community health nursing, one typically needs a registered nurse (RN) license. Many community health nurses also hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, and advanced practice may require additional education such as a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a specialization in community health.
• Do community health nurses work in hospitals? While community health nurses primarily work in community settings like public health departments, schools, and clinics, they can also collaborate with hospitals to provide education, preventive care, and continuity of care to patients transitioning from hospital to home.
• Can a community health nurse become a doctor? Community health nurses can certainly pursue further education and career advancement, but the path to becoming a doctor is different. Becoming a doctor requires completing medical school and earning a medical degree (MD) or a doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) degree, whereas community health nursing involves nursing education and training.

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Home » 500+ Medical Research Topic Ideas

500+ Medical Research Topic Ideas

Table of Contents

Medical research plays a crucial role in advancing healthcare and improving human health. It involves the scientific study of various aspects of medicine and health, including the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. Medical research is a dynamic and ever-evolving field, with new discoveries and breakthroughs happening all the time. It encompasses a wide range of disciplines, from basic science to clinical research, and involves collaboration between scientists, doctors, and other healthcare professionals. In this article, we will explore some exciting new and latest medical research topic ideas that are currently trending in the field. These Research Topics cover a variety of areas, including genetics, infectious diseases, mental health, and more.

Medical Research Topic Ideas

Medical Research Topic Ideas are as follows:

• The efficacy of mindfulness meditation in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety
• The effects of vitamin D supplementation on bone health in postmenopausal women
• The impact of social media on body image and eating disorders in adolescents
• The effectiveness of telemedicine in improving access to healthcare in rural communities
• The benefits and risks of long-term use of statins for cholesterol management
• The role of gut microbiota in the development of autoimmune diseases
• The potential of gene therapy for the treatment of genetic disorders
• The relationship between sleep disorders and cardiovascular disease
• The use of artificial intelligence in diagnosing and treating cancer
• The effect of exercise on cognitive function in older adults
• The impact of environmental factors on the development of asthma in children
• The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy for the treatment of PTSD in veterans
• The potential benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy for the treatment of mental illness
• The relationship between diet and risk of developing type 2 diabetes
• The role of epigenetics in the development of psychiatric disorders
• The impact of COVID-19 on mental health and well-being
• The effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction in improving quality of life in cancer patients
• The impact of childhood trauma on the development of mental illness in adulthood
• The benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy for menopausal women
• The effect of music therapy on reducing symptoms of dementia in older adults
• The relationship between gut microbiota and obesity
• The impact of socioeconomic status on health outcomes
• The effectiveness of acupuncture in treating chronic pain
• The use of stem cells in regenerative medicine
• The impact of air pollution on respiratory health
• The potential of nanotechnology in drug delivery
• The relationship between social support and mental health
• The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for addiction treatment
• The role of inflammation in the development of Alzheimer’s disease
• The use of virtual reality in pain management
• The impact of exercise on mental health in adolescents
• The effectiveness of group therapy for the treatment of substance abuse
• The relationship between sleep and weight management
• The benefits and risks of using medical marijuana for chronic pain management
• The role of the immune system in the development of autoimmune diseases
• The effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation therapy for traumatic brain injury patients
• The impact of maternal stress on fetal development
• The relationship between physical activity and cardiovascular health
• The potential of gene editing for the treatment of genetic disorders
• The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for reducing symptoms of postpartum depression.
• The impact of social media on mental health
• Investigating the use of virtual reality in pain management
• The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for depression
• Exploring the relationship between sleep and anxiety
• Examining the efficacy of telemedicine in delivering mental health care
• Investigating the impact of environmental factors on the development of cancer
• The effect of exercise on cognitive function in elderly individuals
• Examining the potential benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy for PTSD
• The relationship between diet and cardiovascular disease
• Investigating the impact of air pollution on respiratory health
• Examining the effects of social isolation on mental and physical health
• The use of machine learning in diagnosing medical conditions
• Investigating the effectiveness of acupuncture in pain management
• The impact of childhood trauma on mental and physical health outcomes in adulthood
• Examining the relationship between stress and autoimmune diseases
• The effect of music therapy on mental health outcomes
• Investigating the impact of gender on healthcare outcomes
• Examining the relationship between sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease
• The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for chronic pain
• Investigating the potential benefits of medical marijuana for chronic pain management
• Examining the impact of climate change on infectious disease transmission
• The use of robotics in surgery
• Investigating the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer risk
• The effect of meditation on blood pressure control
• Examining the impact of social determinants of health on healthcare outcomes
• The role of genetics in the development of mental health conditions
• Investigating the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders
• Examining the relationship between inflammation and depression
• The impact of shift work on sleep and circadian rhythms
• Investigating the potential benefits of probiotics in gut health
• Examining the relationship between diet and mental health outcomes
• The effectiveness of art therapy for individuals with dementia
• Investigating the relationship between chronic pain and mental health outcomes
• The impact of artificial intelligence on medical diagnosis and treatment
• Examining the effectiveness of exercise in treating depression
• Investigating the relationship between inflammation and cardiovascular disease
• The effect of aromatherapy on anxiety and stress
• Examining the impact of social support on mental health outcomes
• The effectiveness of hypnotherapy in pain management.
• The role of gut microbiota in immune system modulation
• Effects of intermittent fasting on insulin sensitivity in obese individuals
• Impact of smartphone usage on sleep quality and quantity
• The potential therapeutic effects of CBD on anxiety disorders
• Association between shift work and cardiovascular disease
• Efficacy and safety of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in treating depression
• The relationship between stress and autoimmune diseases
• Novel therapies for Alzheimer’s disease
• The effects of high-intensity interval training on metabolic syndrome
• The role of epigenetics in the development of cancer
• The effectiveness of virtual reality in pain management
• The effects of social media on body image and eating disorders
• The association between air pollution and respiratory diseases
• Effects of mindfulness meditation on stress and anxiety in healthcare workers
• The potential benefits of ketogenic diet in treating epilepsy
• The relationship between sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease
• The impact of climate change on infectious disease outbreaks
• The effectiveness of exercise in preventing falls in the elderly
• The effects of blue light exposure on circadian rhythm and sleep quality
• The association between alcohol consumption and liver disease
• The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder
• The role of gut-brain axis in mental health disorders
• The association between chronic inflammation and cancer
• The efficacy and safety of probiotics in treating irritable bowel syndrome
• The effects of social isolation on mental health in the elderly
• The impact of exercise on cognitive function in Parkinson’s disease patients
• The association between vitamin D deficiency and autoimmune diseases
• The potential therapeutic effects of music therapy in dementia patients
• The effects of second-hand smoke on cardiovascular health
• The association between maternal smoking and infant health outcomes
• The role of microbiome in the development of allergies
• The association between sleep duration and obesity
• The effects of blue light-blocking glasses on sleep quality and quantity
• The potential therapeutic effects of ketamine in treating depression
• The association between gut dysbiosis and inflammatory bowel disease
• The effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation therapy in traumatic brain injury patients
• The impact of early childhood stress on adult mental health
• The role of inflammation in the development of type 2 diabetes
• The potential benefits of plant-based diets in preventing chronic diseases.
• The effects of exercise on cognitive function in aging adults
• The association between sleep disorders and cardiovascular disease
• The potential therapeutic effects of psilocybin in treating addiction
• The role of gut microbiota in the development of autism spectrum disorder
• The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in treating depression
• The effects of air pollution on cognitive function
• The association between maternal mental health and child development
• The potential therapeutic effects of cannabis in treating chronic pain
• The role of diet in the prevention and management of diabetes
• The effects of social support on mental health in cancer patients
• The association between shift work and mental health disorders
• The efficacy of antiviral therapies in treating COVID-19
• The effects of exercise on bone health in postmenopausal women
• The association between sleep disorders and obesity
• The potential therapeutic effects of mindfulness meditation in treating anxiety disorders
• The role of gut microbiota in the development of metabolic disorders
• The effectiveness of virtual reality therapy in treating phobias
• The association between social support and immune system function
• The impact of early life stress on adult cardiovascular health
• The potential benefits of intermittent fasting in cancer prevention
• The effects of air pollution on pregnancy outcomes
• The association between maternal obesity and child health outcomes
• The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy in treating post-traumatic stress disorder
• The effects of sedentary behavior on metabolic health
• The potential therapeutic effects of omega-3 fatty acids in treating depression
• The role of microbiome in the development of obesity
• The association between social isolation and cognitive decline in older adults
• The impact of environmental toxins on child development
• The potential benefits of plant-based diets in treating metabolic disorders
• The effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive function
• The association between maternal stress and fetal development
• The efficacy of pharmacological interventions in treating anxiety disorders
• The effects of air pollution on respiratory health in children
• The association between social support and cardiovascular health
• The potential therapeutic effects of mindfulness meditation in treating chronic pain
• The role of diet in the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease
• The effects of exercise on mental health in children and adolescents
• The association between social support and cancer survival rates
• The impact of environmental factors on epigenetic modifications and disease susceptibility.
• The effects of exercise on immune function
• The association between maternal obesity and infant health outcomes
• The impact of air pollution on cognitive function in children
• The association between sleep deprivation and mental health disorders
• The effectiveness of virtual reality in rehabilitation after stroke
• The role of the microbiome in the development of obesity
• The impact of noise pollution on cardiovascular health
• The association between depression and cardiovascular disease
• The association between periodontal disease and cardiovascular health
• The impact of social support on mental health outcomes in cancer patients
• The potential therapeutic effects of melatonin in treating sleep disorders
• The association between air pollution and cognitive decline in older adults
• The effectiveness of group therapy in treating social anxiety disorder
• The impact of exercise on bone health in postmenopausal women
• The association between alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk
• The effects of blue light exposure on melatonin secretion and sleep quality
• The potential therapeutic effects of stem cells in treating Parkinson’s disease
• The role of inflammation in the development of depression
• The association between gut dysbiosis and depression
• The effectiveness of music therapy in reducing anxiety in cancer patients
• The impact of social media on mental health in adolescents
• The potential therapeutic effects of ketamine in treating post-traumatic stress disorder
• The association between vitamin D deficiency and cardiovascular disease
• The effects of chronic stress on immune function
• The potential benefits of Mediterranean diet in preventing cardiovascular disease
• The impact of noise pollution on sleep quality and quantity
• The association between sedentary behavior and depression
• The effects of air pollution on fetal development and pregnancy outcomes
• The potential therapeutic effects of acupuncture in treating anxiety disorders
• The role of microbiome in the development of multiple sclerosis
• The effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction in treating chronic pain
• The impact of artificial sweeteners on metabolic health
• The association between sleep duration and cardiovascular disease
• The effects of social isolation on immune function in older adults
• The potential therapeutic effects of omega-3 fatty acids in treating depression.
• The effects of exercise on cognitive function in older adults
• The association between maternal mental health and infant development
• The potential therapeutic effects of probiotics in treating depression
• The impact of air pollution on lung health in children
• The association between sleep quality and academic performance in adolescents
• The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy in treating insomnia
• The role of gut microbiota in the development of metabolic syndrome
• The potential therapeutic effects of ayahuasca in treating addiction
• The impact of green space on mental health in urban areas
• The association between sedentary behavior and cardiometabolic risk factors
• The effects of blue light on mood and cognitive performance in shift workers
• The potential benefits of vegan diets in preventing chronic diseases
• The impact of social support on mental health in older adults
• The association between air pollution and lung cancer risk
• The effects of exercise on mental health in cancer survivors
• The potential therapeutic effects of ketamine in treating bipolar disorder
• The role of the microbiome in the development of rheumatoid arthritis
• The association between maternal nutrition and fetal development
• The effects of sleep deprivation on immune function
• The potential benefits of mindfulness meditation in managing chronic pain
• The impact of noise pollution on sleep-disordered breathing
• The association between sedentary behavior and breast cancer risk
• The effects of blue light exposure on retinal health
• The potential therapeutic effects of deep brain stimulation in treating depression
• The role of gut microbiota in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• The association between air pollution and neurodegenerative diseases
• The effects of social support on immune function in cancer patients
• The potential therapeutic effects of acupuncture in treating migraines
• The impact of light pollution on sleep quality and quantity
• The association between sedentary behavior and type 2 diabetes risk
• The effects of mindfulness meditation on cognitive function in older adults
• The potential benefits of the DASH diet in preventing hypertension
• The impact of social media on body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in adolescents
• The association between air pollution and kidney disease
• The effects of chronic stress on cardiovascular health
• The potential therapeutic effects of gene therapy in treating inherited diseases
• The role of microbiome in the development of atopic dermatitis
• The association between maternal smoking and childhood obesity
• The effects of blue light exposure on visual function and eye health
• The potential therapeutic effects of electroconvulsive therapy in treating depression.

Healthcare Research Topics for College Students

• The impact of healthcare policies on patient outcomes
• The effectiveness of telemedicine in improving access to healthcare
• The role of cultural competency in healthcare delivery
• The impact of social determinants of health on healthcare outcomes
• The effectiveness of different types of healthcare interventions
• The role of genetics in predicting and preventing chronic diseases
• The impact of the opioid epidemic on healthcare delivery
• The effectiveness of alternative medicine in managing chronic conditions
• The role of technology in improving patient safety
• The impact of healthcare provider burnout on patient care
• The effectiveness of different healthcare models in managing chronic diseases
• The role of patient education in improving healthcare outcomes
• The impact of healthcare disparities on access to care and health outcomes
• The effectiveness of healthcare systems in responding to public health emergencies
• The role of nutrition in disease prevention and management
• The impact of healthcare policy on healthcare costs and spending
• The effectiveness of mental health interventions in improving overall health outcomes
• The role of healthcare systems in addressing health disparities
• The impact of healthcare data analytics on clinical decision making
• The effectiveness of healthcare interventions in reducing healthcare-associated infections
• The role of patient-centered care in improving healthcare outcomes
• The impact of healthcare regulations on patient safety
• The effectiveness of vaccination programs in preventing infectious diseases
• The role of healthcare systems in promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors
• The impact of chronic diseases on healthcare costs and quality of life
• The effectiveness of preventative healthcare in improving health outcomes
• The role of healthcare technology in improving healthcare delivery
• The impact of healthcare funding on healthcare outcomes
• The effectiveness of healthcare interventions in managing chronic pain
• The role of healthcare providers in promoting health equity.

Community Medicine Research Topics for Medical Students

• The impact of community-based interventions on reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases in low-income communities.
• The effectiveness of vaccination campaigns in preventing infectious diseases in marginalized communities.
• The relationship between air pollution and respiratory health in urban communities.
• The prevalence and risk factors of substance abuse among homeless populations.
• The impact of social determinants of health on health outcomes in rural communities.
• The role of community health workers in improving maternal and child health outcomes in low-resource settings.
• The association between food insecurity and obesity in low-income populations.
• The prevalence and risk factors of mental health disorders among adolescents in urban communities.
• The effectiveness of school-based health promotion programs in improving health behaviors among children and adolescents.
• The role of community-based participatory research in addressing health disparities in underserved populations.
• The impact of social support networks on mental health outcomes among elderly populations.
• The relationship between access to healthcare services and health outcomes in rural communities.
• The effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions in reducing the burden of tobacco-related diseases.
• The prevalence and risk factors of sexually transmitted infections among young adults in urban communities.
• The role of community-based organizations in promoting healthy behaviors and preventing chronic diseases.
• The impact of climate change on the incidence and distribution of infectious diseases.
• The prevalence and risk factors of intimate partner violence among women in low-income communities.
• The effectiveness of health education programs in improving health literacy and health outcomes in underserved populations.
• The relationship between social support and adherence to treatment among patients with chronic diseases.
• The prevalence and risk factors of hypertension and diabetes in urban communities.
• The impact of community-based interventions on reducing healthcare costs and improving health outcomes.
• The role of mobile health technologies in improving access to healthcare services in rural communities.
• The prevalence and risk factors of obesity among children and adolescents in low-income communities.
• The effectiveness of community-based interventions in promoting healthy behaviors among pregnant women.
• The impact of housing conditions on health outcomes in marginalized communities.
• The relationship between access to healthy food and health outcomes in urban communities.
• The prevalence and risk factors of depression among elderly populations in rural communities.
• The role of social media in promoting healthy behaviors and preventing diseases among young adults.
• The effectiveness of telemedicine in improving access to healthcare services in underserved populations.
• The prevalence and risk factors of infectious diseases among migrant populations in urban areas.

Surgery Research Topics for Medical Students

• The efficacy and safety of minimally invasive surgery for various conditions
• Comparison of laparoscopic and open surgery for common procedures
• The impact of surgeon experience on surgical outcomes
• Analysis of postoperative complications and their management
• The role of robotics in surgery
• Investigating the use of artificial intelligence in surgery
• The effectiveness of non-pharmacological pain management techniques after surgery
• The effect of preoperative anxiety on postoperative recovery
• Evaluation of different surgical approaches for breast cancer treatment
• The benefits and risks of surgical treatment for obesity
• Investigating the use of stem cells in tissue repair following surgery
• The influence of nutrition on postoperative recovery and wound healing
• Analysis of the psychological impact of surgery on patients
• The effect of different anesthesia methods on postoperative outcomes
• Comparison of outcomes between day surgery and inpatient surgery
• Evaluation of the use of surgical checklists in improving patient safety
• The impact of age on surgical outcomes and recovery
• Investigating the use of 3D printing in surgical planning and implant design
• The benefits and risks of bariatric surgery in patients with diabetes
• The role of surgery in the treatment of chronic pain
• The efficacy of arthroscopic surgery for joint conditions
• The use of lasers in surgery
• Investigating the use of virtual reality in surgical training and education
• The effect of preoperative counseling on patient satisfaction and outcomes
• The impact of comorbidities on surgical outcomes
• Analysis of the economic impact of different surgical approaches
• Investigating the use of telemedicine in surgical consultations and follow-up care
• The effectiveness of surgical treatment for endometriosis
• Comparison of outcomes between single-incision and multiport laparoscopic surgery
• The use of robotics in urologic surgery.

Research Projects for Undergraduate Medical Students

• Investigating the role of genetics in the development of cancer
• Analyzing the effectiveness of different types of pain management strategies in postoperative patients
• Evaluating the impact of diet and exercise on obesity-related health outcomes
• Examining the relationship between sleep quality and mental health in medical students
• Investigating the efficacy of different types of antibiotics in treating common bacterial infections
• Analyzing the impact of electronic medical record systems on patient care
• Evaluating the effectiveness of different types of vaccines in preventing infectious diseases
• Examining the relationship between maternal nutrition and fetal development
• Investigating the use of telemedicine in delivering healthcare services to rural populations
• Analyzing the impact of smoking on lung function and respiratory health
• Evaluating the effectiveness of different types of rehabilitation programs for stroke patients
• Examining the relationship between physical activity and cardiovascular health
• Investigating the use of stem cells in treating various medical conditions
• Analyzing the impact of stress on mental and physical health outcomes
• Evaluating the effectiveness of different types of medical interventions in managing chronic pain
• Examining the relationship between social support and mental health outcomes in patients with chronic illnesses
• Investigating the use of mindfulness-based interventions in reducing anxiety and depression
• Analyzing the impact of environmental factors on health outcomes in urban populations
• Evaluating the effectiveness of different types of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery
• Examining the relationship between nutrition and mental health in older adults
• Investigating the use of mobile health technologies in promoting healthy behaviors
• Analyzing the impact of air pollution on respiratory health in children
• Evaluating the effectiveness of different types of treatments for substance use disorders
• Examining the relationship between socioeconomic status and health outcomes
• Investigating the use of music therapy in managing pain and anxiety in hospitalized patients
• Analyzing the impact of social media on mental health outcomes in adolescents
• Evaluating the effectiveness of different types of interventions in managing symptoms of depression and anxiety in cancer patients
• Examining the relationship between sleep and cognitive function in older adults
• Investigating the use of animal-assisted therapy in promoting physical and mental health
• Analyzing the impact of climate change on health outcomes in vulnerable populations

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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Masks Strongly Recommended but Not Required in Maryland, Starting Immediately

Due to the downward trend in respiratory viruses in Maryland, masking is no longer required but remains strongly recommended in Johns Hopkins Medicine clinical locations in Maryland. Read more .

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Research Topics

General research, cancer research, genetics research, genome biology.

Current Projects

Below is a list of our ongoing collaborations with both internal and external organizations working on healthcare AI implementations. Read and view relevant articles and presentations stemming from our collaborations using the button below.

External Collaborations

Natural language processing in medicine.

Co-designed the " NLP in Medicine " workshop for the 58th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics in July 2020

American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)

Ai in primary care.

Identifying high value projects to advance AI and ML solutions to critical challenges in primary care and mentoring physician innovators through the AAFP Primary Care Innovation Fellowship

Reducing Administrative Burden with Technology

Advising the AAFP on the role of emerging technologies in its Administrative Burden Reduction Plan

American Board of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (ABAIM)

Ai education.

Advancing understanding and application of AI in clinical medicine through education and certification of healthcare professionals with ABAIM

American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM)

Ai research in primary care.

Setting a national research agenda for AI and ML in primary care, and building capacity for AI/ ML research within departments of family medicine across the country through a collaboration with ABFM  and the Center for Professionalism & Value in Health Care

Codex Health

Risk stratification & prediction.

Studying the feasibility and acceptability of a medical analytics platform powered by machine learning and natural language processing to deliver capabilities spanning population health, cohort discovery, predictive analytics, remote patient monitoring, and clinical decision support with  Codex Health

Remote Patient Monitoring

Assessing the current landscape of remote patient monitoring tools and technologies to determine the key features of success and needs that remain unmet

AI-Powered Scribe

Co-designed and conducted a survey with DeepScribe to explore provider experiences and attitudes towards emerging technologies that aim to assist providers by automating certain aspects of clinical documentation

Google Health

Ai in care delivery.

Exploring the utility and promise of applying AI to healthcare, including technology-enabled documentation and tools to support care delivery with Google Health

Care Planning

Designing and assessing the acceptability of an AI-enabled model for pre-visit planning and intra-visit care management in primary care

Interpreting Skin Conditions with AI

Researching the feasibility and acceptability of an AI-powered tool to assist primary care providers with classifying and assessing skin conditions

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

National ai steering committee.

Advising GBMF on the purpose and structure of a national coordinating center and grant program to advance the implementation and prospective evaluation of AI/ML diagnostic decision support tools to improve patient care and diagnostic outcomes

Omada Health

Remote patient monitoring evaluation.

Collaborating with  Omada Health  on a pragmatic trial testing the hypothesis that commercial patient-facing digital care platforms can be intentionally and effectively paired with health systems to augment the primary care of patients with chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and depression

Predicta Med

Early detection of autoimmune disease.

Validating a machine learning tool for identifying patients with an undiagnosed autoimmune disease one year prior to first recorded diagnosis with Predicta Med

Quadrant Technologies

Reimagining patient portals with ai .

Designing and building an AI-powered system to automate the sorting and routing of patient messages as a first step towards reimagining patient portals and reducing the burden of the inbox on clinicians

Predicting and Preventing Harm in the Hospital

Retrospectively validating a suite of AI-enabled tools predicting infections and other adverse events in the inpatient setting (e.g. sepsis and falls with injury) to prepare for a prospective pilot and evaluation of the impact on patient outcomes and provider workflows

SOAP Health

Ai medical interviewing, risk assessment, and soap note creation.

Studied the feasibility and acceptability of a conversational AI for pre-visit medical interviews with SOAP Health

Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM)

Telemedicine education.

Developed a national telemedicine curriculum for medical students, residents, and teaching clinicians as part of STFM 's National Telemedicine Task Force

UCSF Center for Clinical Informatics and Improvement Research (CLIIR)

Data and technology to support diagnostic excellence.

Developed a whitepaper with CLIIR that investigates potential investments in artificial intelligence to advance diagnostic excellence for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

Medical Device Innovation

Collaborating with Verily on multi-site investigational studies assessing the feasibility of new investigational devices designed to estimate blood pressure and cardiac filling pressure

Stanford Collaborations

Center for artificial intelligence in medicine & imaging (aimi), closing gaps in healthcare ai.

Identifying and addressing gaps and barriers in the field of healthcare AI with the goal of accelerating and streamlining the translation of AI tools for clinical applications with AIMI

Center for Automotive Research (CARS)

Detecting providers' stress levels.

Assessed the feasibility and efficacy of detecting stress in family medicine practitioners through desktop computer interactions with CARS

Center for Biomedical Informatics Research (BMIR)

Enabling advance care planning discussions.

Implemented a predictive mortality model to enable patient selection for end of life advance care planning discussions and increased the incidence of documented conversations at Stanford Health Care with BMIR

AI-Driven Order Recommendations

Developing AI-driven clinical order recommendations for primary care physicians to tee up appropriate and efficient specialty care consultations

Center for Digital Health (CDH)

Ai in hypertension management.

Consulting on CDH 's development of an AI-powered hypertension management algorithm for cardiologists and primary care physicians

Clinical Excellence Research Center (CERC)

Computer vision depression screening.

Studying the feasibility of developing an AI algorithm that can predict depression and anxiety based on audio and visual cues captured from a recording of the person with  CERC

Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Management

Advising a project assessing the feasibility and acceptability of leveraging at-home voice applications to assist patients with insulin-dependent diabetes management remotely

Evaluation Sciences Unit (ESU)

Ai in pre-visit planning.

Completed a comprehensive environmental scan, a literature review, and key informant interviews to explore the use of AI in pre-visit planning with the ESU

Master of Science in Clinical Informatics Management (MCiM)

Master of science in clinical informatics management.

Collaborating with MCiM - a master's program for working professionals seeking to harness the power of digital innovations in healthcare - to provide a management-focused educational experience and foster digitally-driven excellence in healthcare

Research IT

Clinical identification tools.

Developing high-performance open source clinical identification tools that enable researchers around the world to use clinical text for AI-driven applications while preserving patient privacy with Research IT

Stanford Health Care

Detecting inpatient clinical deterioration.

Implementing a predictive model for clinical deterioration in the inpatient acute care setting to reduce unexpected escalations to the intensive care units and mortality at Stanford Health Care and Valley Care

Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI)

Ai + healthcare global conference.

Co-designed sessions for the Stanford AI + Health Global Conference covering topics related to AI applied research, academic partnership with industry, as well as equity and community engagement in health AI

Stanford Medicine Center for Improvement (SMCI)

Improvement across stanford medicine.

Collaborating with SMCI  as active affiliate faculty and guest lecturers in order to foster a culture of continuous improvement across Stanford Medicine

Stanford Prevention Research Center (SPRC)

Remote patient monitoring and ai health coaching.

Designing a large pragmatic trial of a comprehensive digital care platform versus usual care for the treatment of hypertension with  SPRC

Stanford WellMD & WellPhD Center

Reimagining patient portals with ai.

Partnering with WellMD & WellPhD to develop an AI-powered system to automate the sorting and routing of patient messages as a first step towards reimagining patient portals and reducing the burden of the inbox on clinicians

Interested in learning more about our group or collaborating on a project? Visit our contact page to connect with us!

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Nih research matters.

December 22, 2021

2021 Research Highlights — Promising Medical Findings

Results with potential for enhancing human health.

With NIH support, scientists across the United States and around the world conduct wide-ranging research to discover ways to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. Groundbreaking NIH-funded research often receives top scientific honors. In 2021, these honors included Nobel Prizes to five NIH-supported scientists . Here’s just a small sample of the NIH-supported research accomplishments in 2021.

Printer-friendly version of full 2021 NIH Research Highlights

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Advancing COVID-19 treatment and prevention

Amid the sustained pandemic, researchers continued to develop new drugs and vaccines for COVID-19. They found oral drugs that could  inhibit virus replication in hamsters and shut down a key enzyme that the virus needs to replicate. Both drugs are currently in clinical trials. Another drug effectively treated both SARS-CoV-2 and RSV, another serious respiratory virus, in animals. Other researchers used an airway-on-a-chip to screen approved drugs for use against COVID-19. These studies identified oral drugs that could be administered outside of clinical settings. Such drugs could become powerful tools for fighting the ongoing pandemic. Also in development are an intranasal vaccine , which could help prevent virus transmission, and vaccines that can protect against a range of coronaviruses .

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Developments in Alzheimer’s disease research

One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s is an abnormal buildup of amyloid-beta protein. A study in mice suggests that antibody therapies targeting amyloid-beta protein could be more effective after enhancing the brain’s waste drainage system . In another study, irisin, an exercise-induced hormone, was found to improve cognitive performance in mice . New approaches also found two approved drugs (described below) with promise for treating AD. These findings point to potential strategies for treating Alzheimer’s. Meanwhile, researchers found that people who slept six hours or less per night in their 50s and 60s were more likely to develop dementia later in life, suggesting that inadequate sleep duration could increase dementia risk.

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New uses for old drugs

Developing new drugs can be costly, and the odds of success can be slim. So, some researchers have turned to repurposing drugs that are already approved for other conditions. Scientists found that two FDA-approved drugs were associated with lower rates of Alzheimer’s disease. One is used for high blood pressure and swelling. The other is FDA-approved to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension. Meanwhile, the antidepressant fluoxetine was associated with reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration. Clinical trials will be needed to confirm these drugs’ effects.

20210713-heart.jpg

Making a wireless, biodegradable pacemaker

Pacemakers are a vital part of medical care for many people with heart rhythm disorders. Temporary pacemakers currently use wires connected to a power source outside the body. Researchers developed a temporary pacemaker that is powered wirelessly. It also breaks down harmlessly in the body after use. Studies showed that the device can generate enough power to pace a human heart without causing damage or inflammation.

20210330-crohns.jpg

Fungi may impair wound healing in Crohn’s disease

Inflammatory bowel disease develops when immune cells in the gut overreact to a perceived threat to the body. It’s thought that the microbiome plays a role in this process. Researchers found that a fungus called  Debaryomyces hansenii  impaired gut wound healing in mice and was also found in damaged gut tissue in people with Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease. Blocking this microbe might encourage tissue repair in Crohn’s disease.

20210406-flu.jpg

Nanoparticle-based flu vaccine

Influenza, or flu, kills an estimated 290,000-650,000 people each year worldwide. The flu virus changes, or mutates, quickly. A single vaccine that conferred protection against a wide variety of strains would provide a major boost to global health. Researchers developed a nanoparticle-based vaccine that protected against a broad range of flu virus strains in animals. The vaccine may prevent flu more effectively than current seasonal vaccines. Researchers are planning a Phase 1 clinical trial to test the vaccine in people.

20211002-lyme.jpg

A targeted antibiotic for treating Lyme disease

Lyme disease cases are becoming more frequent and widespread. Current treatment entails the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. But these drugs can damage the patient’s gut microbiome and select for resistance in non-target bacteria. Researchers found that a neglected antibiotic called hygromycin A selectively kills the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. The antibiotic was able to treat Lyme disease in mice without disrupting the microbiome and could make an attractive therapeutic candidate.

20211102-back.jpg

Retraining the brain to treat chronic pain

More than 25 million people in the U.S. live with chronic pain. After a treatment called pain reprocessing therapy, two-thirds of people with mild or moderate chronic back pain for which no physical cause could be found were mostly or completely pain-free. The findings suggest that people can learn to reduce the brain activity causing some types of chronic pain that occur in the absence of injury or persist after healing.

2021 Research Highlights — Basic Research Insights >>

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Global Health Research Topics

Subscribe to Fogarty's Global Health Matters newsletter , and weekly funding news for global health researchers .

The Fogarty International Center and its NIH partners invest in research on a variety of topics vital to global health. For each of these global health research topics, find an in-depth collection of news, resources and funding from Fogarty, the NIH, other U.S. government agencies, nongovernmental organizations and others.

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• Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility
• Eye disease, vision health and blindness
• Global health security
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• Maternal and child health
• Mentoring and mentorship training
• Mobile health (mHealth)
• Neurological and mental disorders and diseases
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• Tobacco control
• Women’s leadership in global health research

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Updated January 3, 2024

Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research

• CHSOR Seminar
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• Caregiving For Alzheimer's Disease And Related Dementias: Enhancing The National Study Of Caregiving (Nsoc)
• Family Caregivers And Shared Access To The Patient Portal
• Family Involvement In Older Adults’ Physician Visits
• Involving Family To Improve Communication About Safe And Effective Medication Use For Older Primary Care Patients With Dementia
• National Health And Aging Trends Study
• Overuse Of Healthcare Resources In Older Adults
• Using Consumer Credit Data To Identify Precursors And Consequences Of Cognitive Impairment
• Comparative Effectiveness Of Health System Vs. Multi-level Interventions To Reduce Hypertension Disparities
• Comparing Patient Centered Outcomes In The Management Of Pain Between Emergency Departments And Dedicated Acute Care Facilities For Adults With Sickle Cell Disease
• Structural Nested Models To Assess The Safety And Effectiveness Of Generic Drugs

Economic Evaluation

• Assessment Tools For Palliative Care
• Measuring What Matters In Hospice And Palliative Care
• Achieving Excellence In Biopsychosocial Cancer Pain Management Through A Comprehensive Quality Education Program
• Evaluation Of Implementation Of Point-of-care Palliative Care Quality Measures
• (Dis)respect Reflected And Perpetuated In Medical Records

Health Information Technology

• Collaborating Centers Of Excellence In Regulatory Science And Innovation
• Effect Of Therapeutic Class On Generic Drug Substitutions
• Impact Of "Pill Mill" Laws On Opioid Prescribing, Dispensing And Utilization
• Medicare At 50
• Medicare Benefit Design And Long-term Services And Supports: Gaps, Opportunities, And Implications For Beneficiaries
• The Development And Testing Of The Frailty Component Of A Novel Ehr-based "Geriatric E-risk" Measure For Predictive Modeling
• A Community Hie-based Hospital Readmission Risk Prediction And Notification System
• Capturing Implementation Context: The Team Check Up Tool (Tct) Project
• Clinical Knowledge Hub - Conceptual Integration Of Rules, Data Sets, And Queries
• Collaborative Research: Modeling Disease Trajectories In Patients With Complex, Multiphenotypic Conditions
• Creating And Validating A Claim-based Indicator Of Frailty
• Developing An Indicator Of Overuse Of Medical Testing To Reduce The Cost Of Health Care
• Developing Next Generation EHR-supported Predictive Modeling: Developing The Johns Hopkins "E-ACG" System
• Evidence-based Practice Center
• Framework For A Vha Population Health Program: Bmi Trajectory Project
• Geographic Variation In Health And Economic Determinants And Outcomes Of Elective Surgery
• Harmonizing Cognitive Assessment In International Surveys On Aging
• Identifying High Risk Pregnancies Through Natural Language Processing
• Long-term Health Impacts Of Physical And Cognitive Occupational Exposures
• Partnership For Quality Improvement Evaluation With The American College Of Physicians
• Pcori Methodology Standards Academic Curriculum
• Stage 3 Meaningful Use Objectives: An Evaluation Of Care Coordination Measures Among Eligible Hospitals
• "Proteus" Patient-reported Outcomes Tools: Engaging Users & Stakeholders
• A Healthy Patient Or A Satisfied Customer (Or Both!)? Patient Satisfaction In Otolaryngology, Surgery, And Pediatrics
• Accelerating Collaborations For Evaluation Matching Service
• Analyzing The Relationship Between Televised Direct-to-consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising And Patient Outcomes
• Comprehensive Home-based Dementia Care Coordination For Medicare-medicaid Dual Eligibles In Maryland
• Developing Patient Reported Outcome-based Performance Measures In Primary Care Practices
• Impact Of Employment Interventions For Persons With Serious Mental Illnesses On Non-employment Patient-centered Outcomes
• Improving Health Care And Palliative Care For Advanced And Serious Illness
• Maryland Multi-payor Patient Centered Medical Home Program Evaluation
• Path Clinical Data Research Network
• Presenting Patient-reported Outcomes To Promote Patient And Clinician Understanding And Use
• Preventing Fall Related Injuries In Older Adults (Stride Study)
• Smi Dual Eligibles And Medicare Part D: Impact On Medications Continuity And Outcomes
• Linking Blood Stream Infections To Intensive Care Nursing Context Of Care And Process
• Prevention Of Clot In Orthopaedic Trauma
• RISE – Resilience In Stressful Events
• Safety Program In Perinatal Care-ii Phase 2
• What Is Patient Safety In The Medical Home?
• Reverse Innovation & Community Engagement To Improve Quality Of Care & Patient Outcomes (Project Connect)
• The Effects Of Neighborhood Poverty On Health Care Utilization And Spending
• Communication, Respect And Trust In Sickle Cell Disease
• Comorbid Conditions In Cancer Survivors: Costs And Quality Of Care
• Maximizing Respect And Improving Patient Outcomes In Hiv And Substance Abuse
• Improving Doctor-patient Communication In Cancer Care
• Shared Decision-making And Parent-reported Outcomes In Pediatric Sleep-disordered Breathing

Research Projects and Programs

The Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research engages in research projects around the world, with a primary focus on health services research in the US. To browse our over 60 projects please select a category:

Patient Safety

Quality of care, health policy, innovative methods and applications, patient outcomes, patient and community engagement, program evaluation, end of life care, health care providers, systems & organizations, shared decision making, comparative effectiveness research, applied microeconomics.

Key EBP Nursing Topics: Enhancing Patient Results through Evidence-Based Practice

This article was written in collaboration with Christine T. and ChatGPT, our little helper developed by OpenAI.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the use of the best available evidence to inform clinical decision-making in nursing. EBP has become increasingly popular in nursing practice because it ensures that patient care is based on the most current and relevant research. In this article, we will discuss the latest evidence-based practice nursing research topics, how to choose them, and where to find EBP project ideas.

What is Evidence-Based Practice Nursing?

EBP nursing involves a cyclical process of asking clinical questions, seeking the best available evidence, critically evaluating that evidence, and then integrating it with the patient’s clinical experience and values to make informed decisions. By following this process, nurses can provide the best care for their patients and ensure that their practice is informed by the latest research.

One of the key components of EBP nursing is the critical appraisal of research evidence. Nurses must be able to evaluate the quality of studies, including study design, sample size, and statistical analysis. This requires an understanding of research methodology and the ability to apply critical thinking skills to evaluate research evidence.

EBP nursing also involves the use of clinical practice guidelines and protocols, which are evidence-based guidelines for clinical practice. These guidelines have been developed by expert groups and are based on the best available evidence. By following these guidelines, nurses can ensure that their practice is in line with the latest research and can provide the best possible care for their patients.

Finally, EBP nursing involves continuous professional development and a commitment to lifelong learning. Nurses must keep abreast of the latest research and clinical practice guidelines to ensure that their practice is informed by the latest research. This requires a commitment to ongoing learning and professional development, including attending conferences, reading scholarly articles, and participating in continuing education programs.

You can also learn more about evidence-based practice in nursing to gain a deeper understanding of the definition, stages, benefits, and challenges of implementing it.

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How to Choose Evidence-Based Practice Nursing Research Topics

Choosing a science-based topic for nursing practice can be a daunting task, especially if you are new to the field. Here are some tips to help you choose a relevant and interesting EBP topic:

• Look for controversial or debated issues

Look for areas of nursing practice that are controversial or have conflicting evidence. These topics often have the potential to generate innovative and effective research.

• Consider ethical issues

Consider topics related to ethical issues in nursing practice. For example, bereavement care, informed consent , and patient privacy are all ethical issues that can be explored in an EBP project.

• Explore interdisciplinary topics

Nursing practice often involves collaboration with other health professionals such as physicians, social workers, and occupational therapists. Consider interdisciplinary topics that may be useful from a nursing perspective.

• Consider local or regional issues

Consider topics that are relevant to your local or regional healthcare facility. These topics may be relevant to your practice and have a greater impact on patient outcomes in your community.

• Check out the latest research

Review recent research in your area of interest to identify gaps in the literature or areas where further research is needed. This can help you develop a research question that is relevant and innovative.

With these tips in mind, you can expand your options for EBP nursing research topics and find a topic that fits your interests and goals. Remember that patient outcomes should be at the forefront of your research and choose a topic that has the potential to improve treatment and patient outcomes.

Where to Get EBP Project Ideas

There are several sources that nurses can use to get EBP project ideas. These sources are diverse and can provide valuable inspiration for research topics. By exploring these sources, nurses can find research questions that align with their interests and that address gaps in the literature. These include:

• Clinical Practice Guidelines

Look for clinical practice guidelines developed by professional organizations or healthcare institutions. These guidelines provide evidence-based guidelines for clinical practice and can help identify areas where further research is needed.

• Research databases

Explore research databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library to find the latest studies and systematic reviews. These databases can help you identify gaps in the literature and areas where further research is needed.

• Clinical Experts

Consult with clinical experts in your practice area. These experts may have insights into areas where further research is needed or may provide guidance on areas of practice that may benefit from an EBP project.

• Quality Improvement Projects

Review quality improvement projects that have been implemented in your healthcare facility. These projects may identify areas where further research is needed or identify gaps in the literature that could be addressed in an EBP project.

• Patient and family feedback

Consider patient and family feedback to identify areas where further research is needed. Patients and families can provide valuable information about areas of nursing practice that can be improved or that could benefit from further research.

Remember, when searching for ideas for EBP nursing research projects, it is important to consider the potential impact on patient care and outcomes. Select a topic that has the potential to improve patient outcomes and consider the feasibility of the project in terms of time, resources, and access to data. By choosing a topic that matches your interests and goals and is feasible at your institution, you can conduct a meaningful and productive EBP research project in nursing.

Nursing EBP Topics You Can Use in Your Essay

Here are some of the latest evidence-based practice nursing research topics that you can use in your essay or explore further in your own research:

• The impact of telehealth on patient outcomes in primary care
• The use of music therapy to manage pain in post-operative patients
• The effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction in reducing stress and anxiety in healthcare workers
• Combating health care-associated infections: a community-based approach
• The impact of nurse-led discharge education on readmission rates for heart failure patients
• The use of simulation in nursing education to improve patient safety
• The effectiveness of early mobilization in preventing post-operative complications
• The use of aromatherapy to manage agitation in patients with dementia
• The impact of nurse-patient communication on patient satisfaction and outcomes
• The effectiveness of peer support in improving diabetes self-management
• The impact of cultural competence training on patient outcomes in diverse healthcare settings
• The use of animal-assisted therapy in managing anxiety and depression in patients with chronic illnesses
• The effectiveness of nurse-led smoking cessation interventions in promoting smoking cessation among hospitalized patients
• Importance of literature review in evidence-based research
• The impact of nurse-led care transitions on hospital readmission rates for older adults
• The effectiveness of nurse-led weight management interventions in reducing obesity rates among children and adolescents
• The impact of medication reconciliation on medication errors and adverse drug events
• The use of mindfulness-based interventions to manage chronic pain in older adults
• The effectiveness of nurse-led interventions in reducing hospital-acquired infections
• The impact of patient-centered care on patient satisfaction and outcomes
• The use of art therapy to manage anxiety in pediatric patients undergoing medical procedures
• Pediatric oncology: working towards better treatment through evidence-based research
• The effectiveness of nurse-led interventions in improving medication adherence among patients with chronic illnesses
• The impact of team-based care on patient outcomes in primary care settings
• The use of music therapy to improve sleep quality in hospitalized patients
• The effectiveness of nurse-led interventions in reducing falls in older adults
• The impact of nurse-led care on maternal and infant outcomes in low-resource settings
• The use of acupressure to manage chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
• The effectiveness of nurse-led interventions in promoting breastfeeding initiation and duration
• The impact of nurse-led palliative care interventions on end-of-life care in hospice settings
• The use of hypnotherapy to manage pain in labor and delivery
• The effectiveness of nurse-led interventions in reducing hospital length of stay for surgical patients
• The impact of nurse-led transitional care interventions on readmission rates for heart failure patients
• The use of massage therapy to manage pain in hospitalized patients
• The effectiveness of nurse-led interventions in promoting physical activity among adults with chronic illnesses
• The impact of technology-based interventions on patient outcomes in mental health settings
• The use of mind-body interventions to manage chronic pain in patients with fibromyalgia
• Optimizing the clarifying diagnosis of stomach cancer
• The effectiveness of nurse-led interventions in reducing medication errors in pediatric patients
• The impact of nurse-led interventions on patient outcomes in long-term care settings
• The use of aromatherapy to manage anxiety in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization
• The effectiveness of nurse-led interventions in improving glycemic control in patients with diabetes
• The impact of nurse-led interventions on patient outcomes in emergency department settings
• The use of relaxation techniques to manage anxiety in patients with cancer
• The effectiveness of nurse-led interventions in improving self-management skills among patients with heart failure
• The impact of nurse-led interventions on patient outcomes in critical care settings
• The use of yoga to manage symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis
• The effectiveness of nurse-led interventions in promoting medication safety in community settings
• The impact of nurse-led interventions on patient outcomes in home healthcare settings
• The role of family involvement in the rehabilitation of stroke patients
• Assessing the effectiveness of virtual reality in pain management
• The impact of pet therapy on mental well-being in elderly patients
• Exploring the benefits of intermittent fasting on diabetic patients
• The efficacy of acupuncture in managing chronic pain in cancer patients
• Effect of laughter therapy on stress levels among healthcare professionals
• The influence of a plant-based diet on cardiovascular health
• Analyzing the outcomes of nurse-led cognitive behavioral therapy sessions for insomnia patients
• The role of yoga and meditation in managing hypertension
• Exploring the benefits of hydrotherapy in post-operative orthopedic patients
• The impact of digital health applications on patient adherence to medications
• Assessing the outcomes of art therapy in pediatric patients with chronic illnesses
• The role of nutrition education in managing obesity in pediatric patients
• Exploring the effects of nature walks on mental well-being in patients with depression
• The impact of continuous glucose monitoring systems on glycemic control in diabetic patients

The Importance of Incorporating EBP in Nursing Education

Evidence-based practice is not just a tool for seasoned nurses; it’s a foundational skill that should be integrated early into nursing education. By doing so, students learn the mechanics of nursing and the rationale behind various interventions grounded in scientific research.

• Bridging Theory and Practice:

Introducing EBP in the curriculum helps students bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and clinical practice. They learn how to perform a task and why it’s done a particular way.

• Critical Thinking:

EBP promotes critical thinking. By regularly reviewing and appraising research, students develop the ability to discern the quality and applicability of studies. This skill is invaluable in a rapidly evolving field like healthcare.

• Lifelong Learning:

EBP instills a culture of continuous learning. It encourages nurses to regularly seek out the most recent research findings and adapt their practices accordingly.

• Improved Patient Outcomes:

At the heart of EBP is the goal of enhanced patient care. We ensure patients receive the most effective, up-to-date care by teaching students to base their practices on evidence.

• Professional Development:

Familiarity with EBP makes it easier for nurses to contribute to professional discussions, attend conferences, and conduct research. It elevates their professional stature and opens doors to new opportunities.

To truly prepare nursing students for the challenges of modern healthcare, it’s essential to make EBP a core part of their education.

In summary, evidence-based practice nursing is an essential component of providing quality patient care. As a nurse, it is important to stay up to date on the latest research in the field and incorporate evidence-based practices into your daily work. Choosing a research topic that aligns with your interests and addresses a gap in the literature can lead to valuable contributions to the field of nursing.

When it comes to finding EBP project ideas, there are many sources available, including professional organizations, academic journals, and healthcare conferences. By collaborating with colleagues and seeking feedback from mentors, you can refine your research question and design a study that is rigorous and relevant.

The nursing evidence-based practice topics listed above provide a starting point for further exploration and investigation. By studying the effectiveness of various nursing interventions and techniques, we can continue to improve patient outcomes and deliver better care. Ultimately, evidence-based practice nursing is about using the best available research to inform our decisions and provide the highest quality care possible to our patients.

📎 Related Articles

1. Top Nursing Research Topics for Students and Professionals 2. Nursing Debate Topics: The Importance of Discussing and Debating Nursing Issues 3. Mental Health Nursing Research Topics: Inspiring Ideas for Students 4. Top Nursing Argumentative Essay Topics: Engage in Thought-Provoking Debates 5. Top Nursing Topics for Discussion: Engaging Conversations for Healthcare Professionals 6. Exploring Controversial Issues in Nursing: Key Topics and Examples 7. Pediatric Nursing Research Topics for Students: A Comprehensive Guide

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3 Healthcare Design Topics That Deserve More Research

Peer-reviewed academic research in most cases is limited by resources to smaller studies. High-level esoteric analysis is often years away from application to practice or code adoption. Practice-based applied research has limited investment because clients seldom support it monetarily.

Last year, I wrote about the need for further study regarding hand hygiene and the appropriate location of handwashing lavatories in patient care areas. (Read here for the article.)

If I could wave my magic wand, there are three potential research studies for my 2024 wish list that could make a difference in how we plan facilities and perhaps save cost in the process.

3 Research topics for healthcare design

• Clinic design

The concept of developing clinical neighborhoods to support primary care medical home clinics,  where provider groups work to meet each patient’s physical and mental health care needs, including prevention and wellness, spawned the idea of dual-sided entry exam rooms around consolidated offstage work areas.

This is helpful for larger medical teams of providers, medical assistants, and ancillary support services to work together, improving communications and shortening travel distances. However, this design has been shown to increase overall clinic square footage approximately 20 percent due to additional circulation requirements.

Some research has studied the efficacy of this concept, focusing mostly on small, community-based primary care clinics.  Should this planning concept apply to specialty clinics or other sites where direct access to larger teams may be less important? Is there measurable improvement to operations, medical outcome, or patient/staff experience that justifies the increase in building footprint and cost?

I’d like to see studies by the VA Health Care or other healthcare systems that have adopted this model to see if this design is truly worth the investment or if other staff co-location designs can meet the same goals.

• Patient room showers

Many readers would be surprised to know that the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) 2022 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals does not require a bathing facility (i.e. shower) in every patient room but does allow for a central bathing facility per patient unit.

To my knowledge, there’s never been a study on what type of patients use showers, how often, and when they’re used during their stay. Are shorter lengths of stay and higher patient acuity reducing the need for showers  in every acute care patient room? Would one “spa-like” bathing facility per unit allow for better staff assistance and usage of mobile lifts and reduce the issues of patient’s slipping and water migration?

The reduction in both plumbing and square footage should warrant an in-depth study of the need for showers in every patient room.

• Access to natural light

There’s consensus from multiple research sources that access to natural light and views of nature has the power to improve health outcomes and patient and staff satisfaction.

However, in the FGI 2022 Guidelines , the only requirement for outside windows is in patient rooms in patient care units and not in any other area of the hospital. An observation unit per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ( CMS ) may house patients for up to 48 hours (though some states are more stringent), but the building codes do not require that  a patient  have access to a window.

In 2016, CMS adopted NFPA 101 2012, which requires windows in patient sleeping rooms, but in the years since I published articles on this subject it has been up to individual jurisdictions to enforce.

It is unconscionable that large areas of our healthcare institutions are without natural light, especially where there are overnight stays.

Can there be research to show how long patients and staff should remain in areas without windows without adverse effects? How far should staff be allowed to work from access to natural light daily?

Research to support healthcare designers

Hopefully these topics will inspire researchers to delve further into subjects that can best address the needs of design practitioners seeking to reduce healthcare facility costs and improve the environment for staff and patients.

Sheila Cahnman, FAIA, FACHA, LEED AP, is president, JumpGarden Consulting LLC and can be reached at [email protected] .

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Global health research projects ..

Global Health research spans a wide range of interrelated and complex public health topics. Please explore our current projects by their primary theme listed below. Be sure to investigate more detailed descriptions of projects that have hyperlinked project titles .  Many project areas overlap, so please explore them all.

Academic Interests of the DGH Faculty

If you are looking for a particular faculty member, research area, or location, please use Ctrl + F or command F to scan the list.

Point of Care Diagnostics

Technology to improve decision making and neonatal outcomes in special neonatal care units (sncus) in india.

There have been major improvements in childhood mortality around the world over the last 20 years, but it has been more difficult to reduce mortality of babies in the first month of life. The study is evaluating how to optimize design and use of medical equipment and point of care diagnostics to improve care of newborns in India.

Patricia Hibberd

Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers for Bacterial Infection in Pediatric Clinical Pneumonia

Bacterial pneumonia is one of the leading causes of childhood mortality, particularly in resource-limited countries. The disease burden can be partially attributed to the lack of an accurate and reliable diagnostic test to allow promptly starting antibiotic therapy. Lack of a diagnostic test also results in accelerated resistance to available antibiotics. Previously, we identified a combination of blood inflammatory proteins that could accurately diagnose bacterial infection in Mozambican children with clinical pneumonia. We are currently validating and improving upon this combinations in Gambian children with clinical pneumonia to further start development of a point-of-care diagnostic test with partners.

Clarissa Valim

Emerging Infectious Disease Surveillance and Research

Geosentinel – the global research and surveillance network of the international society of travel medicine in partnership with the cdc.

This is an emerging infectious global surveillance and research network consisting of 72 sites in 30 countries, which uses travelers, immigrants, and refugees as sentinel indicators of disease outbreaks worldwide. GeoSentinel research major projects include studies of fever etiology and outcomes among travelers, artemisinin resistance, mpox, neurocognitive impact of malaria, and COVID-19.

Davidson Hamer

BU-UL Partnership to Enhance Emerging Epidemic Virus Research in Liberia (BULEEVR)

This grant supports a training program is for Liberian Researchers to combat emerging infectious disease outbreaks, such as Ebola. Faculty at BUMC/BUSPH and the University of Liberia co-mentor trainees.

Andrew Henderson

Global Health Research Training

Fogarty global health training fellowship.

This program provides mentored research opportunities to train and prepare a new cadre of health professionals in the US and LMICs in global health research by enhancing the trainees’ ability to independently plan, implement, and assess innovative clinical or operations research focused on reducing mortality and morbidity associated with HIV/AIDS and associated co-infections, NCDs including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, mental health, and MCHN. Academic partners include Harvard University (Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Global Health Institute), Boston University (Schools of Public Health and Medicine), Northwestern University (Center for Global Health, Feinberg School of Medicine) and the University of New Mexico (School of Medicine, Center for Global Health).

Bangladesh, Botswana, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Mali, Peru, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, Zambia

Health Services Research

Indlela: a nudge unit to build capacity in behavioral economics and increase hiv program effectiveness in south africa.

Indlela is the first-of-its-kind unit focused specifically on improving the effectiveness of the public sector in delivering health care and achieving better health outcomes in South Africa. In the unit’s first 3 years it will focus specifically on building capacity to expand the use of behavioral economics within HIV prevention and treatment programs in South Africa and strengthen the ability of health service delivery providers and key research institutions to develop and test contextually appropriate interventions that are informed by behavioral insights. In future years, the scope will expand beyond HIV to include other public health issues in South Africa.

Lawrence Long

South Africa

Providence/Boston Center for AIDS Research (CFAR)

The major goals of this project are to foster HIV Research and collaborations between Brown and Boston University Developing young investigators.

Matthew Fox

US, Ukraine, Kenya, South Africa, the Philippines

Dartmouth-Boston University HIV-TB Research Training for the Infectious Disease Institute at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)

The major goals of this project are to train Tanzanian citizens in clinical HIV/AIDS research and to estaqblish san Infectious Dsieases Institute at MUHAS.

Robert Horsburgh

Boston University’s Contributions to the Enhanced Mentor Mother Program (EMMA) Study for USG FY2021-22.

During 2014-2019, BU collaborated with the Walter Reed Project and the Kenya Medical Research Institute to complete a study titled: “Evaluating the effectiveness of implementing Option B+ under routine conditions with and without the PMTCT Patient Coordinator Program: A site-randomized impact evaluation among maternal and child health centers supported by the South Rift Valley PEPFAR program in Kenya.” The focus of this additional grant is to complete final data extraction and analysis for infant HIV testing outcomes (testing and HIV status at 18 months of age).

Bruce Larson

AMBIT: Alternative Models of ART Delivery: Optimizing the Benefits 

Many high HIV-prevalence countries are scaling up differentiated service delivery (DSD) models for providing antiretroviral treatment for HIV. DSD models adjust the location, frequency, provider cadre, and other aspects of service delivery to make HIV treatment more patient-centric and more efficient. Little is known about the true impact of DSD models on the health system or patients, however. AMBIT is a research project in sub-Saharan Africa comprising synthesis of existing data, new data collection, data analysis, and modeling activities aimed at generating information for near- and long-term decision making for scaling up DSD models in Malawi, Zambia, and South Africa.

Sydney Rosen

Malawi, Zambia, South Africa

Evaluating the Cost of Scaling PrEP Access through Novel Delivery (EXPAND). 

Blurb: This is an economic evaluation of three demonstration projects that are testing different service delivery approaches for PrEP in South Africa. Each of the demonstration projects uses a different delivery model to reach populations at increased risk for HIV acquisition to offer them oral PrEP. These models will also be adapted for the delivery of long-acting injectable PrEP as soon as this becomes available in South Africa. The economic evaluation includes qualitative work, baseline assessment, patient costs, and the cost of delivery PrEP from the provider perspective. We also include a cross-cutting component focused on local capacity building in costing and economic evaluations.

Retain6: Models of care for the first 6 months of lo treatment

For HIV-positive patients in sub-Saharan Africa and globally, the first six months after initiating lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) pose the greatest risk of loss to follow up. Patients who make it through the first six months have a good chance of being retained on ART for the long term, but many drop out before reaching the six-month point. The Retain6 project aims to develop new models of differentiated service delivery for patients in their first six months on ART, in an effort to improve retention in care during this period.

Zambia, South Africa

CAB-RPV LA Implementation Strategies for High-Risk Populations.

This will be an evaluation of a new injectable antiretroviral treatment for HIV-positive individuals receiving care at the Boston University Medical Center and its associated community-based outreach clinics. It includes qualitative research on preferences of patients and providers and a randomized controlled trial to assess feasibility and impact.

Mari-Lynn Drainoni (BMC)

The SUpporting Sustained HIV Treatment Adherence after INitiation ( SUSTAIN study)

Early detection of poor adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) and linkage to support for new patients is critical. The objective of this study is to improve ART adherence, retention and viral outcomes in people commencing ART in the South African public sector, a low-resource setting, over 24 months using five evidence-based adherence strategies to enable rapid identification and management of people with poor adherence. We will test the combinations of these components using a Multiphase Optimization STrategy (MOST) design, which allows us to explore the benefit of various combinations of these five effective and feasible ART adherence monitoring or support components.

Faculty/PI: Lora Sabin (PI), Nafisa Halim (Co-I), Bill MacLeod (Co-I), Allen Gifford (Co-I)

Location: South Africa

Zambia Infant Cohort Study

The ZICS study will determine if antiretroviral regimens used to successfully prevent mother to child transmission of HIV have also decreased morbidity and mortality among the children born to these mothers but who, themselves, have escaped infection with HIV. If not, then further investigation of the cause of poor outcomes in these children will be necessary. We will also determine if the mother’s immune status is a determinant of poor health outcome in their uninfected children, and in their infants early immune status.

Donald Thea

Zambia Infant Cohort Study: Brain Optimized to Survive and Thrive (ZICS-BOOST)

Children exposed to HIV in-utero but uninfected (CHEUs) number 14.8 million globally. In Zambia, an estimated 56,000 CHEUs are born annually, a staggering fraction of the national birth cohort. Multiple studies establish that CHEUs are more neurodevelopmentally vulnerable than HIV-unexposed peers. In Zambia, there are existing effective early childhood developmental (ECD) interventions that target other vulnerable populations, but never trialed specifically for CHEUs. GAP: Research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of a scalable early childhood development (ECD) intervention for CHEUs. Zambia is scaling up ECD as part of its national strategy, but CHEUs are not currently targeted. There is need to better understand the scope and mechanism of HEU-related neurodevelopmental differences and what interventions are most effective. HYPOTHESIS #1: An ECD intervention delivered by community health workers via bi-weekly home visits will improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in CHEUs. HYPOTHESIS #2: CHEUs have significantly worse neurodevelopmental outcomes than unexposed peers at 24 months, mediated by preterm birth, disease stage or ARV exposure. METHODS: In order to observe differences in neurodevelopment between HIV-exposed and HIV-unexposed children, we will build upon an existing Zambian birth cohort by extending follow-up from 6 months to 2 years (n=450). Neurodevelopmental assessments will be measured by multiple context-validated tools at 12 and 24 months. In addition, a randomized control trial of a bi-weekly community health worker-delivered ECD intervention for CHEUs will be conducted to assess its impact on CHEU neurodevelopment. RESULTS: Pending. IMPACT: Despite growing evidence, HIV-exposure is not currently prioritized as a risk factor for poor development by policy makers or ECD programs. By capitalizing on the wealth of prenatal and infant data collected in our ‘parent’ study, we can investigate the mechanism that links HEU to neurodevelopment and test a potential therapy. Addressing developmental vulnerability in CHEUs is paramount to ensuring that future generations of children are school ready, and able to reach their full developmental potential.

Julie Herlihy

EVIDENCE: Evaluation to Inform Decisions using Economics and Epidemiology

EVIDENCE is a 5-year HIV/AIDS project funded by PEPFAR through USAID. With the project lead in South Africa, the Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office (HE2RO), we conduct health economics and epidemiology evaluations and provide technical assistance in support of the goals of the South African National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STIs (NSP) and the PEPFAR Country Operational Plan. BU faculty and staff work closely with HE2RO on project evaluations, cost modeling, outcomes research, and financial management to improve guidelines, policies, programs, and resource allocation.

Economic Impact of HIV Policy Briefs

This project synthesises the evidence on the economic impact of HIV into a series of 17 policy briefs that can help decision-makers in ministries of finance and health in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) decide on the future financing of their country’s HIV programme. The project incorporates a series of seminars with an academic and LMIC government staff audience aimed at refining the content and presentation of the briefs, the presentation of the evidence base to LMIC decision makers during a comprehensive workshop, and the publication of the briefs on a website and in peer-reviewed journals.

Gesine Meyer-Rath

infectious disease

Vaccine impact modelling consortium (vimc) 2.0  .

VIMC   is an international community of modelers providing high-quality estimates of the public health impact of vaccination to inform and improve decision making. This project contributes to the estimation of cervical cancer disease burden and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine impact in low- and middle-income countries. In addition, this project examines policy-relevant research questions for HPV vaccines in order to advance the research agenda in the field of vaccine impact modeling.

 Allison Portnoy

Low- and middle-income countries worldwide

INSECT: Implementing Novel Strategies for Education and Chagas Testing  

This project, funded by a CDC cooperative agreement, aims to increase Chagas knowledge in the medical community and to roll out screening programs for high-risk populations (such as women of childbearing age from endemic areas) nationwide.

Boston, Massachusetts

Chagas disease biorepository

We have developed a biorepository using biological samples from a cohort of Chagas disease patients at Boston Medical Center. The primary goal of the biorepository is to develop and maintain a large, geographically diverse collection of well-characterized samples to be used as a resource for future Chagas diagnostics research.

Incorporating Behavioral Feedback in the Infectious Disease Transmission Modeling

Transmission dynamic modeling is a powerful tool to understand the epidemiology of infectious diseases and evaluate the impact of control measures. However, the lack of empirical data on human behavior and its temporal variation has hindered the progress and application of these models. Therefore, this project aims to 1) understand how people experiencing acute infections change their social contact patterns over the course of their illness and 2) develop mechanistic models that incorporate these data to generate more reliable estimates of key transmission parameters and intervention impacts. Our project aims to provide policy makers and public health officials with more informed decision-making tools to develop interventions, ultimately leading to improved health outcomes.

Kayoko Shioda

United States

EPISTORM: Real-time Evaluation of Vaccine Effectiveness and Safety

Real-time monitoring of the effectiveness and safety of vaccines is essential for controlling infectious diseases. However, there are both practical and methodological hurdles. Our project aims to address two key challenges: 1) issues with linking public health data from different sources, and 2) analytic challenges associated with evaluating multi-dose vaccines, using causal inference techniques. Boston University has been selected to be part of the national network for outbreak and disease modeling led ( CDC Insight Net ), and this project will be conducted through this network.

Cryptococcal Meningitis Screening in South Africa

Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is a fungal infection that causes infection in the brain and spinal cord. CM is a leading cause of AIDS-related deaths globally, mainly among patients with low CD4 cell counts. Through screening HIV patients with low CD4 cells counts for cryptococcal antigen (CrAg), it is possible to identify CrAg-positive patients before they develop meningitis. Treating these patients with antifungal medications can then substantially reduce risks of progression to CM and death. Through support from the CDC Foundation (May 2015 – June 2021), the purpose of this program of research has been to evaluate costs and effectiveness of alternative CrAg screening strategies and CM treatment regimens.

Using Behavioral Economics to Improve the Uptake of and Persistence on Pre-exposure Prophylaxis in Men Who Have Sex With Men to Prevent HIV Infection

South Africa’s HIV incidence remains high, in particular amongst populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM) who may be at increased risk. HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is considered key to reducing incidence in these populations, yet pilot studies show sub optimal uptake and poor persistence amongst those most at risk. This research will focus on understanding why PrEP uptake and persistence amongst MSM in South Africa is low and how the delivery of PrEP to this population could be altered to encourage those most at risk to start treatment using behavioral insights.

Impact of Undernutrition on Immunity Elicited by Vaccines in the Gambia

Moderate and severe undernutrition are highly prevalent in several resource-limited countries. There is conflicting evidence on the impact of undernutrition on the immunity elicited by childhood vaccines, as well as the specific supplements that could be used to overcome vaccine hypo-responses associated with undernutrition. In a pilot project in The Gambia, we are comparing antibody vaccine responses against a panel of EPI vaccines of children with severe wasting and stunting with well-nourished children. Furthermore, through a metabolomics assay, we will assess whether specific amino acid deficiencies are associated with decreased responses in undernourished children.

IPV (intimate partner violence)

Testing the effectiveness of an evidence-based transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy approach for improving hiv treatment outcomes among violence-affected and virally unsuppressed women in south africa.

This study will evaluate the impact of the Common Elements Treatment Approach (CETA), an evidence-based intervention comprised of cognitive-behavioral therapy elements, at improving HIV treatment outcomes among women with HIV who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) and have an unsuppressed viral load on HIV treatment. To evaluate CETA, we will conduct a randomized controlled trial of HIV-infected women, with or without their partners, who have experienced IPV and have an unsuppressed viral load to test the effect of CETA in increasing viral suppression and reducing violence.

The Intransigence of Malaria in Malawi: Understanding Hidden Reservoirs, Successful Vectors and Prevention Failures

Under the aegis of the Malawi International Center of Excellence of Malaria Research (ICEMR) program, several cohort studies have been conducted focused on studying malaria control measures and understanding why measures such as bed nets have failed to control malaria in Malawi. Examples of these studies are the one led by Dr. Valim aiming to identify the transmission reservoir group(s) for malaria in Malawi and to assess the impact of current interventions on these human reservoirs. Another study conducted under the aegis of ICEMR aims to assess the effectiveness of the RTS,S malaria vaccine in conjunction with other malaria prophylactic measures.

Maternal and Child Health

Global network for women’s and children’s health research.

The Global Network conducts observational studies and clinical trials in 8 locations in low and middle income countries in Asia, Africa and Central America. The goals of the research are (1) to evaluate whether low-cost, sustainable interventions improve maternal and child health; and (2) build local research capacity and infrastructure. Whenever possible common protocols are implemented in all 8 locations. The Boston University site works with the Lata Medical Research Foundation in Nagpur, India. The grant funds several studies.

Synbiotics for the Early Prevention of Severe Infections in Infants (SEPSIS)

SEPSIS, a collaboration between icddrb (Dhaka), Hospital for Sick Kids (Toronto), and BU consists of a few related studies including an observational cohort of severe infections and the intestinal microbiome in young infants in Dhaka, Bangladesh and a phase II randomized, placebo-controlled trial of the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of neonatal administration of Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 202195 with or without fructooligosaccharide for one or seven days

Antimicrobial Resistance

A-plus trial: multi-site efficacy and safety trial of intrapartum azithromycin in lmics – amr sub-study and effect of azithromycin on the developing microbiome ..

The Global Network is conducting a trial to evaluate whether Azithromycin given during labor reduces maternal and neonatal infections and mortality. This grant supports studying the effect of azithromycin on development of antimicrobial resistance and the gut and airway microbiome.

Sequencing of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from Zambia

Bloodstream isolates (K. pneumoniae and E. coli) from the Sepsis Prevention in Neonates in Zambia study are being sequenced to determine serotypes and antibiotic resistance characteristics.

Non-communicable Diseases

World health organization. global ncd reporting mechanism..

Veronika Wirtz & Peter Rockers

In 2021, the World Health Organization introduced the Global Diabetes Compact, targeting equitable and affordable access to diabetes care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Acknowledging the support from the private sector, WHO formulated a list of 31 asks to prioritize expansion of access to essential insulin and related health technologies. Boston University is now supporting WHO in developing a Global Reporting Mechanism (GRM) to encourage the reporting and tracking of industry commitments aligned with the 31 WHO Asks.

Noncommunicable Disease Management in South Africa: Insights from the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) Multi-morbidity Cohort.

The K01 Award (K01DK116929) addresses the growing challenge of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), focusing on care disparities and treatment efficacy, particularly among populations living with and without HIV in low- and middle-income countries. Central to this project is the innovative application of a probabilistic record-linking algorithm to develop a patient cohort from the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) database in South Africa, which contains over 68 million laboratory records from more than 30 million individuals and covers conditions like HIV, tuberculosis, diabetes, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disorders from April 1, 2004, to March 31, 2017.

The creation of the NHLS Multi-morbidity Cohort has facilitated in-depth analysis of data including anonymized patient identifiers, demographics, test specifics, and geographic information. This cohort is instrumental for the project’s aims to examine examining the T2DM care cascade in populations with and without HIV, evaluate the Integrated Chronic Disease Management (ICDM) model’s impact on diabetes care using quasi-experimental methods, studying chronic kidney disease progression , and evaluating compliance with national diabetes guidelines . These efforts aim to enhance understanding and improve management of noncommunicable diseases in South Africa.

Alana Brennan

World Bank Global compendium of primary care service delivery models for non-communicable diseases

(link to report should be available in June 2024)

Addressing the challenges within non-communicable disease programs and primary healthcare centers, the World Bank embarked on a project to gather a comprehensive collection of primary care service delivery models for non-communicable diseases. This initiative highlighted the critical need for a cohesive approach to primary healthcare, which includes the promotion, prevention, and management of non-communicable diseases, aiming to improve care across the entire spectrum, from reducing risk factors to managing chronic conditions at the primary care level effectively. The project’s goal was to develop an online, action-oriented collection for the World Bank, filled with innovative design solutions and digital enhancements to boost access, efficiency, effectiveness, and the quality of care for non-communicable diseases. This collection intended to present a wide array of primary healthcare models designed for chronic conditions, supporting countries in their shift towards integrated, chronic care services and moving away from a reliance on acute, episodic care.

The project culminated in a comprehensive matrix featuring 158 models, alongside 60 concise two-page case reports and 15 detailed five-page case reports. These documents collectively highlight a diverse range of primary care service delivery models for non-communicable diseases, spanning various geographic regions and income categories. Sub-Saharan Africa was prominently featured, accounting for 26.6% of the models, with East Asia and the Pacific at 22.8%, and South Asia at 20.2%. Most of these models were found in upper-middle-income and lower-middle-income countries, making up 45.6% and 42.4% of the implementations, respectively. Diabetes stood out as the most common focus, being the target of 50.0% of the models, followed by hypertension at 41.8% and mental health disorders at 38.0%. The main strategies highlighted in these models were task-shifting/task-sharing (40.5%), the integration of new services or conditions (35.4%), and educational or training initiatives (33.5%). The implementation settings varied, with mixed areas being the most common at 41.8%, and rural and urban areas following at 24.7% and 22.1%, respectively. The scale of implementation predominantly ranged from small to medium, accounting for 55.1% of the models, but there were also notable instances of large-scale and national-scale projects at 20.2% and 10.1%, respectively, highlighting the extensive reach and potential impact of these initiatives.

Alana Brennan, Nancy Scott , Sydney Rosen

low-and middle-income countries

Opportunistic screening for hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus using COVID-19 infrastructure

South Africa continues to grapple with a substantial burden of non-communicable diseases, particularly type 2 diabetes and hypertension. However, these conditions are often underdiagnosed and poorly managed, further exacerbated by the strained primary healthcare system and the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Integrating non-communicable disease screening with large-scale healthcare initiatives, such as COVID-19 testing and vaccination campaigns, offers a potential solution, especially in low- and middle-income countries. We investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of this integration in two separate cohorts.

Study 1: Integration of point-of-care screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension with COVID-19 rapid antigen screening in Johannesburg, South Africa

In a prospective cohort study at the Germiston taxi rank in Johannesburg, South Africa, we assessed the integration of screenings for type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension with rapid antigen tests for COVID-19. The study involved 1,169 participants and included measurements of blood glucose, blood pressure, waist circumference, smoking status, height, and weight. Participants showing elevated blood glucose levels (fasting levels equal to or greater than 7.0 or random levels equal to or greater than 11.1 millimoles per liter) and/or elevated blood pressure readings (diastolic pressure equal to or greater than 90 and systolic pressure equal to or greater than 140 millimeters of mercury) were directed to receive clinical follow-up. Our results indicated an overall diabetes prevalence of 7.1%, incorporating both previously diagnosed individuals and those newly identified with elevated blood glucose measurements. We also observed a hypertension prevalence of 27.9%, which included both known cases and new detections of elevated blood pressure during the study. However, the rates of connecting these individuals to subsequent medical care were low, with only 30.0% of those with elevated blood glucose and 16.3% with elevated blood pressure engaging in follow-up care. This opportunistic approach to screening helped identify potential new diagnoses in 22% of participants, yet it also underscored the necessity for better strategies to ensure these individuals receive the necessary ongoing care, highlighting the critical need for additional research to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of such integrated screening programs on a larger scale.

Study 2: Integration of point-of-care screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension into the COVID-19 vaccine programme in Johannesburg, South Africa

In a prospective cohort study at four health facilities in Johannesburg, South Africa, we screened 1,376 participants for hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus during COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. This integration aimed to address the significant problem of undiagnosed conditions in a strained healthcare system. We measured blood glucose, blood pressure, waist circumference, smoking status, height, and weight, referring individuals with elevated blood glucose (fasting levels equal to or greater than 7.0 or random levels equal to or greater than 11.1 millimoles per liter) and/or blood pressure (diastolic pressure equal to or greater than 90 and systolic pressure equal to or greater than 140 millimeters of mercury) for further medical evaluation. Our findings showed a 4.1% prevalence of diabetes, combining known cases and new detections of elevated blood glucose levels. The hypertension prevalence was 19.4%, including both existing and newly identified cases of elevated blood pressure. Notably, 46.1% of participants exhibited waist circumferences indicative of metabolic syndrome, more frequently observed in females. Additionally, 7.8% of the screened individuals were potentially newly diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension, emphasizing the importance of integrated screening initiatives. Approximately half of the individuals with newly identified risk factors successfully sought follow-up care within a month, highlighting the effectiveness of using routine healthcare interactions for extensive screenings, particularly vital in settings with limited resources, and underscoring the need to improve linkage to care for efficient management of non-communicable diseases.

Alana Brennan, Gesine Myer-Rath

Assessing the effects of HIV disease on dysglycemia in a cohort of tuberculosis patients in South Africa’s Western Cape

Our planned research will focus on compare rates of dysglycemia (both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia) in people living with HIV (PLWH) and HIV-uninfected persons receiving tuberculosis (TB) treatment using pilot data from the The Impact of Alcohol Consumption on TB Treatment Outcomes (TRUST) Study . HbA1c’s were only collected at enrollment the TRUST. As such, we will collect blood samples to measure HbA1c and blood glucose levels at patients 18-month study visit. This will allow us to assess changes in blood glucose levels from study enrollment by HIV status. Second, we will assess the role stress and inflammation play in relation to blood sugar levels in PLWH and HIV-uninfected individuals. Research suggests that the hosts immune response to active TB and/or HIV disease results in a prolonged state of systemic inflammation which can have negative metabolic effects. We will collect samples to measure markers of stress and inflammation at the 18-month study visit when all patients will be one year post TB treatment completion and when transient hyperglycemia due to TB infection should be resolved. This will be preliminary data to assess if there are differences in these specific stress and inflammatory markers post TB treatment amongst PLWH and HIV-uninfected individuals and potentially identify underlying mechanism(s) causing abnormal blood sugar levels.

Programme Evaluation of Timor-Leste PEN-HEARTS Intervention

This project will evaluate early implementation in Timor-Leste of PEN-HEARTS, a community-based intervention supported by the WHO designed to improve health outcomes among individuals with non-communicable diseases such as diabetes. Building on a similar evaluation in Bhutan, a BU team of faculty and students will design and implement the evaluation with WHO and Ministry of Health officials in Timor-Leste. The evaluation will use mixed methods and involve data collection in both intervention and comparison sites in four districts of Timor-Leste.

Timor-Leste

Pharmaceutical Policy

Medicines, technologies, and pharmaceutical services.

The Medicines, Technologies and Pharmaceutical Services (MTaPS) project aims to strengthen pharmaceutical systems in low and middle income countries. Boston University is a core partner of the USAID funded MTaPS project led by Management Sciences for Health. The objectives are (1) to generate evidence on the development, implementation and strengthening of data management that can support decision-making in pharmaceutical systems; (2) to develop, implement and evaluation accountability mechanisms in pharmaceutical systems.

Veronika Wirtz

Tuberculosis

Methods to estimate the impact of interventions on the transmission and incidence of tuberculosis.

The major goals of this project are to develop models that can be used to monitor the success of TB interventions. This project is a collaboration with Dr. Helen Jenkins and Dr. Leo Martinez and is led by Dr. Laura White of the BUSPH Department of Biostatistics

Intensified patient-finding intervention to increase the detection of children with tuberculosis

Children with tuberculosis are vastly under detected and under diagnosed. An intensified patient-finding intervention using systematic verbal screening at health facilities was undertaken in two locations to increase the detection of children who may be at high risk for tuberculosis disease. These projects aim to identify gaps along the pediatric tuberculosis care cascade; understand age-specific clinical presentation and risk factors for tuberculosis disease, extrapulmonary presentations, and poor treatment outcomes; refine clinical algorithms to expedite decision-making for treatment initiation; and explore other topics related to pediatric tuberculosis epidemiology.

Meredith Brooks

Pakistan and Bangladesh

SAIA-TB: Using the Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach to Prevent TB in rural South Africa

Description: South Africa estimates 80% of their population has TB infection, and 14% of the population lives with HIV, with an estimated 5-15% of South Africans at high risk of developing TB disease from recent infection or immunocompromised status. Therefore, utilization of routinely collected data to optimize the comprehensive TB care cascade – screening, evaluation, diagnosing, linkage to care, treatment, and TB-free survival – is important to assess at the clinic level to improve clinic flow and patient outcomes. This study—funded by NINR/NIH—will leverage an evidence-based implementation science strategy, the Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach (SAIA), and recent TB cascade analyses piloted in the proposed site, to adapt and evaluate the effectiveness of SAIA-TB using a stepped wedge crossover cluster randomized trial across 12 clinics in rural Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Improving Childhood Tuberculosis Treatment Outcomes and Post-TB Lung Functioning and Quality of Life in Rural South Africa

Description: We will assess the TB care cascade in children, expanding it to include a child-specific definition of post-TB lung disease (PTLD), among children in a high TB/HIV burden setting in Eastern Cape South Africa, and identify risk-factors for completing each step of the newly expanded TB care cascade. Additionally, we will collect rich data regarding nutritional status, air pollutant exposure, lung capacity, and quality of life to estimate their effect on TB disease outcomes and PTLD in children. Funded by the Charles H. Hood Foundation.

Household Contact Tuberculosis Preventive Therapy Programs in Rural Eastern Cape, South Africa (KWIT-TB)

Description: We will assess the geospatial components, including access to care and population-level characteristics to gaps in the TB preventive therapy care cascade.

Adaptive Design to Aid in the Planning of community-based Tuberculosis screening services (ADAPT-TB)

Description: Community-based screening via mobile units can close gaps in missed diagnoses by bringing screening services into communities, making screening more convenient for individuals with limited access to appropriate services. Questions remain, however, about how to efficiently operate these mobile units. Leveraging longstanding relationships in Lima, Peru, including existing collaborations involving mobile screening units, I will collect data from health facilities and mobile screening units to [Aim 1] establish spatial and temporal trends of the local tuberculosis burden and [Aim 2] build neighborhood-level models reflecting local risk of tuberculosis. I will then [Aim 3] develop a baseline decision model via a restless multi-armed bandit framework to make data-driven decisions about where, when, and how long to place the mobile units in the community. The overall goal is to optimize the real-time movement of these units throughout a community to increase the detection of individuals with TB and allocate resources more efficiently. Funded by a Carlin Foundation Award for Public Health Innovation and a Population Health Data Science (PHDS) Seed Funding Award.

Optimizing tuberculosis elimination initiatives for high-risk populations

Certain populations are at increased risk of tuberculosis infection and progression to tuberculosis disease. In Mexicali, Mexico, we are assessing the impact of novel diagnostics for tuberculosis infection testing in three high-risk populations–people who use drugs, household contacts of people with tuberculosis, and people confined to a penitentiary setting–to inform tailored algorithms for tuberculosis testing and initiation of tuberculosis preventive treatment. We also assess gaps identified along the tuberculosis comprehensive care cascade to guide local tuberculosis prevention and management guidelines.

Tuberculosis in teens: a geospatial approach to predict community transmission

Description: Adolescents are a unique population that have been routinely neglected from tuberculosis guidelines. However, due to their ability to spread tuberculosis and their high number of social contacts, adolescents may be a key node fueling cycles of local community tuberculosis transmission in high incidence settings. Through a K01 Award from NIAID, NIH, we use geospatial and genotypic analyses to complete the following objectives: (1) To characterize the spatial heterogeneity of tuberculosis transmission events in adolescents. (2) To predict the spatial distribution of tuberculosis transmission events in adolescents. (3) To estimate and compare, through simulation, the impact of adolescent-tailored screening and treatment interventions on reducing community tuberculosis transmission.

Predictors of Resistance Emergence Evaluation in MDR-TB Patients on Treatment.

Dr. Horsburgh and Dr. Tim Sterling of Vanderbilt are leading a prospective cohort study of patients with MDR-TB. The aims of the study are to determine if decreased TB drug levels predispose to the development of additional drug resistance on treatment and to develop early indicators of such emergence of resistance.

US, India, Brazil

RePORT India Consortium

The major goal of this project is to collaborate with partners in India in clinical studies of tuberculosis infection and disease.

Akshay Gupte

Transmission of Tuberculosis among illicit drug use linkages

The goal of this project is to assess the risk for TB transmission between persons who smoke drugs. This is a prospective cohort study of persons with and without drug use in South Africa.

Karen Jacobson

US, South Africa

Prevention Policy Modeling Lab

The Goal of this Project is to develop cost-effectiveness models for TB prevention. This project is a collaboration with Dr. Nick Menzies at Harvard School of Public Health and Dr. Josh Solomon at Stanford School of Medicine.

DRAMATIC Phase 2 Duration Randomized MDR-TB Treatment Trial

The major goal of this project is to identify a shorter, less toxic treatment for MDR-TB.  This project is a collaboration with Dr. Payam Nahid at University of California, San Francisco. It is randomizing patients with fluoroquinolone-susceptible MDR-TB in Vietnam and the Philippines to four different durations of a 5-drug regimen.

US, Vietnam, the Philippines

Phenotype, Progression and Immune Correlates of Post-Tuberculosis Lung Disease

Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is associated with lung injury which can persist despite successful therapy. Lung sequelae of treated PTB are increasingly recognized as an independent risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and, an important contributor of excess morbidity and mortality. This project aims to: 1) characterize the early natural history of post-TB lung disease (PTLD) and provide rationale for long-term monitoring and bronchodilator therapy in affected cases, 2) characterize the functional and morphological phenotype of PTLD by serial pulmonary function testing and multi-detector computed tomography, 3) identify immune profiles measured during early, late and post-therapy associated with PTLD.

RePORT-India Lung Health Study

Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is the most common form of TB disease and is characterized by granuloma formation, necrosis, and cavitation in the lung tissue. This lung injury in PTB may affect tuberculosis treatment outcomes. Granulomatous lesions, fibrosis, and cavitation impair drug penetration in affected lung tissue and may lead to persistent foci of bacterial replication and drug resistance. The overall goal of this project is to identify clinical and imaging markers of lung injury that are associated with unfavorable treatment outcomes in PTB.

Multiomic signatures of Lung Injury in Tuberculosis

Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is associated with lung injury which can persist despite successful therapy. Lung sequelae of treated PTB are increasingly recognized as an independent risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and, an important contributor of excess morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, PTB is characterized by granuloma formation, necrosis, and cavitation in the lung tissue which can impair drug penetration in affected lung tissue leading to persistent foci of bacterial replication, drug resistance and poor treatment outcomes. The overall goal of this study is to explore host metabolomic and genetic signatures associated with lung injury in PTB patients with and without diabetes and HIV.

Point-of-care Questionnaire and mHealth Assisted Diagnosis of Post-TB Lung Disease

Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is associated with lung injury which can persist despite successful therapy. Lung sequelae of treated PTB are increasingly recognized as an independent risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and, an important contributor of excess morbidity and mortality. Spirometry is the gold standard for diagnosing lung function defects, however it is technically challenging and expensive to perform, and may not be available at the point-of-care in many TB-endemic settings. The overall goal of this project is to develop and validate a questionnaire-based screening algorithm, assisted by machine learning analysis of cough sounds and lung auscultation data, to identify individuals with a high probability of having Post-TB Lung Disease for referral and confirmatory testing.

Effectiveness of Anti-Fibrotic Therapy for Preventing Pulmonary Impairment in COVID-19

COVID-19 is associated with persistent pulmonary impairment despite successful management of acute disease. Of particular interest is pulmonary fibrosis, with several studies reporting reduced FVC, DLCO and anterior reticulation on chest CT. The overall goal of this project is to conduct a retrospective analysis of medical records to measure the association between receipt of antifibrotic therapy (Pirfenidone and/or Nintedanib) and lung impairment following hospital discharge among adults with COVID-19.

Veterans health

Bridging the care continuum for vulnerable veterans across va and community care (bridgecc) queri program.

Led by investigators at the Bedford VA, this project is implementing three evidence-based practices (EBPs) that aim to improve coordinated care between VA and non-VA providers to improve the health of veterans. The EBPs focus on 1) homeless overdose prevention expansion; 2) maintaining independence and sobriety through systems integration and outreach; and 3) post-incarceration engagement to increase social support. Dr. Sabin is guiding the costing components for each EBP.

Interesting Healthcare Project Ideas & Topics [For Freshers in 2024]

Introduction:  

As someone deeply entrenched in the healthcare field, I’ve explored numerous healthcare project ideas aimed at improving patient care and streamlining operations. These projects not only address critical challenges within the healthcare sector but also drive innovation and efficiency. From developing pressure monitoring systems to implementing blockchain-based record systems, the possibilities are endless.  

In this article, I’ll delve into a curated list of healthcare project ideas and topics, each offering unique opportunities for professionals aspiring to make a meaningful impact in healthcare. Whether you’re a healthcare professional, a developer, or a researcher, these ideas provide a starting point for innovative projects that can revolutionize healthcare delivery. Join me as we explore the fascinating world of healthcare project ideas and uncover the potential for transformative change in the field.  

Read the full article to know more in detail.

You can never be certain of your knowledge of a subject unless you can put your skills to the test and show what you learned. Recruiters know this and that’s why they always stay on the lookout for candidates who have a few real-world projects under their belt. 

In today’s article, we have shared our top healthcare project topics so you can start working on them right away. 

Top Healthcare Project Topics

1. pressure monitoring system for reducing pressure damage.

This is an attractive project for those interested in medical technology. In this project, you’d have to create a pressure monitoring system for blood pressure patients which would alert the patient and if necessary, their physician. Such a solution can help people in following the proper preventive measures, as the old adage goes “prevention is better than cure.” It would also allow patients and doctors to efficiently utilize resources and funds.

2. Understanding the Benefits of Telepsychiatry

The mental health industry is quite lackluster in India. There’s a lot of room for improvement as many people aren’t even aware of the importance of good mental health. In a country like India, where the population is too high it’s important to develop solutions that are scalable and efficient. In this project, you’d create a solution that allows psychiatrists to interact with their patients through video calls. You’d study why telepsychiatry is necessary for this country and how we can promote its uses. For beginners, it is easily one of the best healthcare project ideas.

3. Using Rapid Access Multidisciplinary Palliative Assessment to Improve Cancer Patient Experience

Palliative care is an interdisciplinary medical approach focused on enhancing the quality of life for patients with complex and serious illnesses. It aims to reduce the suffering of patients with serious illnesses through different implementations. You can create a solution that allows oncologists and palliative care experts to improve the quality of life for cancer patients. In this project, you’d study the importance of palliative care and how it’s implemented in oncology. 

4. Blockchain-based Record System

A patient’s medical records play a crucial role in helping the doctor in analyzing their current ailments. However, storing and accessing different patient’s medical records is quite cumbersome. A minor storage error can put a patient’s life at risk. This is where blockchain enters. With blockchain , you can create decentralized solutions where no single authority controls the storage or recording process. Instead, the process is controlled by numerous participants and everything is recorded in a ledger. You can create a blockchain-based record system for healthcare enterprises where patients can keep their medical history safe. It will require the patient’s key to access medical records for safety reasons. A decentralized storage system inevitably makes accessing such information much easier.

5. Automated Monitoring System of Advanced Medical Products

The Internet of Things (IoT) has plenty of applications in the medical sector. If you want to study IoT with medicine, then this is among the best healthcare project ideas for you. In this project, you’d have to create an automated monitoring system that checks the medical products used in a clinic or hospital. The system would examine the product to see if it matches the required procedure or not. It should be able to check the following information: a) Is the medicine expired? b) Does the medicine match the prescribed dosage? This is a particularly good project for those who have experience in the Internet of Things.

6. Tracking Solution For the Logistics in a Hospital in Real-Time

This project focuses on large hospitals and clinics as they have to manage many patients and resources at once. Resource management is a prominent area of concern for a hospital. Conventional resource management systems are prone to human errors and communication gaps, resulting in a lot of disturbances. You can create a logistics solution that allows the hospital administrator to manage the hospital’s resources properly.

It would also allow them to manage the locations of different patients and track their schedules so they can allot staff to a specific department accordingly. A digital solution for managing logistics will reduce the chances of human errors and communication gaps.

7. Efficient Alternative to an Ambulance

According to a report by the BBC , there were 1,46,133 deaths in India due to road accidents. Around 30% of these deaths occurred because of a delayed ambulance. That’s not all, according to the Government of India’s reports , more than 50% of heart attack patients reach the hospital 400 minutes late. There’s a huge problem with ambulances in India. In this project, you can propose a solution to this issue. For example, you can propose an Uber-like solution that runs separately from Hospital-run ambulances. You can also add the feature of specifying the issue so the ambulance can prioritize the patients accordingly.

8. Schedule Tracking and Communication Solution

This project is best-suited for hospitals and large clinics and is an excellent assignment for healthcare management students. 

Hospitals with residents have to keep a track of every patient’s care and medication, which can get quite difficult to manage. You can build a digital solution that allows the hospital to manage and track every patient’s schedule. It will enhance the productivity of the hospital and allow the attending physicians and nurses to better manage the patients.

If you want to make the project more interesting, you can add the functionality of sharing information among the staff so that if a schedule change occurs, one staff member can inform the others.

Checkout: Top Healthcare Interview Questions and Answers

9. Medication Management Tool

Managing different medications can be pretty cumbersome for a patient, especially if they are taking medication for different ailments. First, there’s the issue of keeping the schedule of every medication in mind. Then, they have to manage the quantity of every medication and get more before one of them runs out. Missing on dosage can be very harmful to a patient’s well-being. You can create a digital solution for helping people with medication management. They would have to enter their different medication and its schedule once into the tool. Then the tool will alert them about their dosage time and track how many doses they have taken to remind them about buying more medicine.

10. Identifying Bottlenecks in Secondary Care Through Electronic Data

Secondary care refers to specialized treatment and support for patients that get referred from another institution for expert care. It involves emergency care and elective care. Effective management of secondary care patients is necessary for the smooth functioning of a hospital. Through electronic data management and health economics, you can develop a solution to streamline secondary care management. The solution would focus on prioritizing the different bottlenecks in secondary care management and solve them accordingly. If you want to enter healthcare management, this is one of the best healthcare project ideas for you.

11. Multidisciplinary Cow’s Milk Allergy Management Solution

Did you know that around 60% of Indians are lactose intolerant? Lactose intolerance refers to the inability to digest the sugars present in milk. Our body breaks down the milk’s components through lactase but when you have low levels of lactase, you can’t break them down. Since cow’s milk is a widely preferred choice in India, you can build this multidisciplinary solution to help people allergic and intolerant of cow’s milk. It would help patients with diagnosis and treatment and generate awareness about this matter.

12. Electronic Visit Verification For Fraud Reduction

One of the biggest problems with at-home care is fraud. Many times, the caregiver wouldn’t arrive on time or simply wouldn’t show up at all but would lie about their arrival. Such fraud has become a significant problem especially in situations where the patient lives alone. You can design and build an electronic visit verification system that monitors the caregiver’s location. This way, they will not be able to lie about their location. Many companies have started using such software to keep their employees in check. You can replicate the same through this project.

13. AI-Based Staffing Solution

Hospitals and clinics have to rely on staffing agencies to find and hire nurses and other staff. In most cases, the staffing agency doesn’t find all the required professionals in time and handle the process very inefficiently. The lack of staff can be very detrimental to a hospital’s proper functioning. You can create an AI-based solution to tackle this problem. The solution would connect hospitals and clinics with skilled and verified candidates. By getting rid of the middleman, you can save both parties a ton of time. Cerebro has developed such a solution and it is the perfect inspiration for this project. 

Budgeting for Healthcare Projects:

In my experience, budgeting plays a crucial role in the success of healthcare projects. As freshers entering the field in 2024, it’s important to understand how to effectively allocate resources for your projects. Begin by conducting thorough research to estimate the costs associated with equipment, technology, personnel, and any other necessary resources. Consider factors such as scalability and sustainability to ensure long-term viability. Collaborating with finance professionals and project managers can provide valuable insights into creating realistic budgets that align with organizational goals. By mastering budgeting skills early on, you’ll set yourself up for success in executing impactful healthcare projects.

Real-world Examples of Successful Healthcare Projects:  

Drawing inspiration from real-world examples can offer valuable insights into healthcare project topics and quality improvement ideas. For instance, initiatives like implementing electronic health records (EHR) systems have revolutionized healthcare delivery by improving data accessibility and patient care coordination. Similarly, telemedicine platforms have expanded access to healthcare services, particularly in remote areas. Quality improvement projects focusing on reducing hospital readmission rates or enhancing patient satisfaction scores have also yielded significant results. By studying these successful projects, freshers can gain a deeper understanding of effective strategies and innovative approaches in healthcare project management.  

Conclusion:

We trust that our healthcare project ideas have been valuable resources for you. Engaging in these projects provides an opportunity to assess your skills and capabilities, allowing you to discern areas of strength and areas needing improvement. This self-awareness is invaluable as you prepare to enter the healthcare field professionally, enabling you to showcase your strengths effectively to potential employers and target areas for further development. We’re curious to hear which healthcare project piqued your interest the most. Share your thoughts in the comments below. Your feedback helps us tailor future content to better meet your needs and interests.  

Sandeep Pereira

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Top 10 Medical Research Project Ideas for High School Students

By Jordan Ellington

Project Support Manager at Polygence

4 minute read

The field of medicine is constantly growing and changing and there are always new challenges for researchers to tackle. Think back to the progression of COVID-19 and how it started with diagnosis after diagnosis but no treatment or end in sight. Thanks to research, clinical studies, and technological advancements, we now have readily-available vaccinations. Whether medical researchers are working to improve treatments or to create new ones, there's always work to be done.

If you are fascinated by the advancement of medicine and passionate about healthcare topics as a high school student, this could be a great opportunity for you to explore and learn more about it through an independent research passion project ! Our medical and healthcare mentors compiled a  list of 10 intriguing medical and healthcare research project ideas to inspire you. If any of these pique your interest, sign up to get matched with a mentor and get started on your student research project !

What are some medical project ideas I can start?

1) the use of virtual and augmented reality in medicine.

Level: Beginner

Virtual realities are becoming the norm around households and even classrooms these days! Did you know that virtual and augmented realities are also starting to be incorporated within the world of medicine ? Take a deeper dive into this topic and write a research paper on your findings!

Idea by medical research mentor Mina

2) High School Health Independence

Level: Beginner 

Sometimes, it’s hard for teens to pinpoint a medical problem that they might be facing. How can we better educate high schoolers on the ins and outs of self care and living a healthy life? Brainstorm ways to introduce positive lifestyle mechanisms to this specific age group. 

Idea by medical research mentor Margaret

Research YOUR fave areas of Biology and Medicine

Polygence pairs you with an expert mentor in to create a passion project around biology and medicine. Together, you work to create a high quality research project that is uniquely your own. We also offer options to explore multiple topics, or to showcase your final product!

3) How Does Aristotle Inform Decision-Making at the End of Life in the U.S. Healthcare System?

Sometimes, medical decisions can interfere with what you believe is ethically correct. To help with this, clinicians should have some sort of guide to help them through decision making processes. For this project, you will grasp a better understanding of Aristotle’s principles, ethics, and more to assist with medical decision making . 

Idea by medical research mentor Avery

4) A Review of How Genomics Has Transformed Medicine

Cancer treatments are now being personalized and it’s largely due to genomics! Take time to do your research and explore genomics and all of the advances it has allowed us to reach. 

Idea by medical research mentor Trudy

5) What can Songbirds Teach us About Premature Infants? 

Level: Intermediate 

Due to the advancement of medicine, more premature babies are given a chance at life than ever before. However, some of these babies unfortunately grow to develop some sort of mental impairment which points back to their time spent in the NICU. Is NICU sensory overload altering brain development?

Idea by medical research mentor Naomi

6) Under the Dermatoscope: A Fact Check of Common Skin Care and Sun Protection Advice

If you find yourself buying lotions and serums to protect your skin from the sun, this could be the project for you! Do your research on all things dermatology! What really causes skin damage and how do you know you’re using the correct ointments? Create a blog or podcast on skin health. 

Idea by medical research mentor Austin

Dive in to BioMed NOW!

Register to get paired with one of our expert mentors and to get started on exploring your passions today! You have agency in setting up your schedule for this research. Dive in now!

7) Development of New Cancer Treatment with Targeted Medicine

Level: Advanced 

Explore the world of medicine by helping treat a cancer type of your choice! For this project you will invent a drug by learning more about cancerous cellular markers . You will focus on targeting those specific markers with the drug that you develop. Write a research paper or create a poster presentation to explain your creation. 

Idea by medical research mentor Clayton

8) How will Personalized Medicine Affect the Costs of Medical Care?

Imagine you went to the doctor and used your insurance, yet, you still received a large bill in the mail. Better yet, you have to go back to the doctor because the treatment given to you didn't work. It’s time to incorporate personalized medicine into our healthcare system. Do your research to gain an understanding on why this has yet to happen and what we should do to get there. 

Idea by medical research mentor Alejandro

9) Pitch Me a Med Device Startup!

When COVID came, we were forced to adapt to a world of social distancing. Long gone are the days when we have to physically show up to a doctor's appointment! Zoom telehealth appointments are all the hype nowadays, whether you are suffering from the common cold or need to meet with your therapist. Determine a medical issue that does not yet have a remote checkup option available. Create a pitch to prove the needs of your app. 

Idea by medical research mentor Kyle

10) Tranexamic Acid as a Treatment for Drug-Induced Angioedema

Unfortunately, we probably all know someone with high blood pressure as it’s one of the most common diagnoses in the U.S. Even though there are plenty of medications that help control the spike in blood pressure, many of them have awful side effects. One of the most common side effects, angioedema , can be very dangerous if left untreated. Do your research to develop a treatment plan for these patients. 

Idea by medical research mentor Gaurav

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The Largest Roundup of Healthcare Quality Improvement Examples and Projects

By Kate Eby | June 17, 2019 (updated November 13, 2023)

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Healthcare organizations have performed tens of thousands of continuous quality improvement projects over the past two decades. Organized by topical area, this article provides dozens of useful examples of those projects as well as links that offer further details.

Included on this page, you'll find a roundup of examples, including CQI projects that improved overall healthcare , CQI projects that improve long-term disease management , projects that reduced medical errors, and many more.

What Is Quality Improvement in HEA?

Healthcare quality improvement is the process of continually assessing and enhancing the effectiveness, safety, and efficiency of healthcare services given to patients. Actions include analyzing data, identifying improvement areas, and installing evidence-based solutions to enhance the quality of patient care.

Examples of Quality Improvement Projects in Overall Patient Care

Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico performed a quality improvement project to improve how it processed complaints from its members about quality-of-care issues at health facilities. Other projects include the following:

• The Safer Care Patient-Centered Checklist : This was an intervention to promote safe, high-quality practice and improved outcomes. This project was conducted by the University Hospital Southampton National Health Service Foundation Trust in the UK.
• Quality Improvement and Person-Centeredness : This was a test of the “Always Event” concept, a method in healthcare settings in which you identify care issues that are important to patients and families and encourage medical providers to focus on those issues. The test was conducted by the National Health Service in Lanarkshire, UK.
• The Improvement of Order Sets: This project was undertaken by Boston Medical Center, the Graduate Medical Education Program, to create a standard process to increase quality and utilization.
• The Implementation and Improvement of a Pediatric Rapid Assessment Clinic: Brock University in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada implemented this project in a large community hospital system, namely St. Catherines Site.  
• The Improvement of the Quality and Impact of Interdisciplinary Rounds: Tulane Medical Center at Tulane University conducted this study.
• The Improvement of the Consistency and Efficiency of Medicare Annual Wellness Visits: The Tulane University School of Medicine conducted this study.

Examples of Quality Improvement Projects in Patient Screening and Other Diagnostic Procedures to Detect Disease

Stanford University Healthcare instituted a quality improvement project to improve the breast positions in mammograms in order to detect breast cancer . This project helped increase the accuracy of Stanford’s mammograms by 36 percent, meaning that breast cancer was detected earlier in many cases. Other projects include the following:

• A Resident-Led Quality Improvement Initiative: The Louis Stokes VA Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio undertook this project to improve outpatient colorectal cancer screening rates.
• The Improvement of Metabolic and Diabetes Screenings: This was an effort to improve metabolic and diabetes screenings for patients in Missouri who received Medicaid and Medicare services and had a mental illness and at least three chronic health conditions. The initiative significantly increased the percentage of patients who had appropriate screening.

Examples of Quality Improvement Projects in the Long-Term Management of Diseases

Blood pressure control reduces the chance of serious complications associated with diabetes. The Huron Valley Physicians Association in Ann Arbor, Michigan implemented a quality improvement project to better monitor and control the blood pressure of patients with diabetes . Other projects include the following:

• The Cholesterol (LDL) Screening after an Acute Coronary Event : The Dean Health System in Madison, Wisco nsin implemented this project.
• The Improvement of Congestive Heart Failure Discharge Teaching Efficiency : Mountain States Health Alliance’s Indian Path Medical Center conducted this study.
• The Improvement of Quality of Care for Diabetes in an Outpatient Setting : Austin (Texas) Diagnostic Clinic conducted this study.
• The Reduction of Time to First Antibiotic Dose in Pneumonia Patients : El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, California implemented this project.
• The Optimization of Patient Outcomes and the Reduction of Cost through the Enhanced Management of Invasive Fungal Infection : The Barts Health National Health Service Trust in London implemented this project.
• The Improvement of the Cancer Patient Experience with a Rapid Access Multidisciplinary Palliative Assessment and Radiotherapy Treatment Clinic : University Hospital in Southampton, UK undertook this project.
• The Dementia “Golden Ticket,” an Emerging New Model of Care : Buxted Medical Centre in Uckfield, UK undertook this project.
• Home Monitoring to Support Patients during Chemotherapy : The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in London did this project.
• The Diabetes Passport to Health: The Development and Piloting of a Self-Management Tool for High-Risk Patients: Emory University in Atlanta conducted this study.
• The Increase of Appropriate Statin Use in the Primary Care Clinic: The Louis Stokes VA Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio undertook this project.

Examples of Quality Improvement Projects in Managing Pregnancies and Improving Perinatal Outcomes

Identifying and managing pregnancy risks early in a woman’s pregnancy is vital for the health of the mother and unborn baby. The National Health Service in Scotland implemented a quality improvement program that engages women in the development of a system that will assess and manage those risks . Other projects include the following:

• Home Monitoring of High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy: An Innovative App to Monitor Women’s Health during Pregnancy : St George’s University Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust in London conducted this project.
• A Nurse-Driven Quality Improvement Program to Improve Perinatal Outcomes : In Bethesda, Maryland, a nursing team joined forces with a managed care organization to develop and implement a quality program that would improve perinatal outcomes for pregnant women enrolled in the managed care organization.

Examples of Quality Improvement Projects in Reducing Medical Errors, Medication Errors, and Adverse Drug Events

Communication errors are one of the leading causes of medical errors — this translates to poor patient outcomes, longer hospital stays, and increased costs. Duke Children’s Hospital in Durham, North Carolina. worked on a quality improvement project to improve communication among medical professionals during the providers’ daily rounds. Other projects include the following:

• The Addressing of Risks for Error in the Process of Administering Dialysis : This study involved a Utah hospital.
• The Targeting of Wrong Dose Medication Errors: This study involved a California hospital.
• The Addressing of Infusion Drug Errors: This study involved an 11-bed pediatric intensive care unit in a children’s hospital.
• The Systematic Analysis for Improvement in the Ordering and Administration of Potassium Chloride and Potassium Phosphate: This study involved three Canadian hospitals.
• The Addressing of Medication Order Errors with Pediatric Oncology Patients: This study involved a Maryland academic medical center.
• Error Detection Associated with Medication Administration: Baccalaureate nursing students at Pennsylvania University conducted this study.
• The Addressing of Medication Errors and Adverse Drug Events (ADEs): The increased pharmacist staffing on patient care units that review orders reduced errors by 45 percent.
• The Addressing of Errors Associated with Chemotherapy: A standardized procedure for changes in chemotherapy was established at a Netherlands hospital in order to prevent prior changes in chemotherapy that staffers made without the knowledge of nurses or other medical providers.
• The Addressing of Adverse Drug Events Associated with Patient-Controlled Analgesia: Quality improvement changes at a California hospital included using a standard dosage protocol, ensuring that patient-controlled pumps were programmed correctly, and monitoring patients who were using the pumps.
• A Transition of Care Pharmacy Program: This quality improvement program encourages pharmacists at Stanford Health Care to participate in daily rounds and reconcile medications on patient admission and discharge. Pharmacists also provide in-depth medication education to patients when they are discharged from the hospital.

Examples of Quality Improvement Projects in Reducing Hospital-Acquired Infections, Injuries, and Other Illnesses

Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio embarked on a quality improvement program to try to prevent all hospital-acquired harm to patients — a significant problem at all U.S. hospitals. This quality improvement structure was expanded to create more than 150 patient harm-related projects. Over a three-year period, the hospital reduced its preventable harm events by 55 percent and its risk-adjusted mortality rate by almost 40 percent. Other projects include the following:

• “Lose the Tube”: The Reduction of the Use of Catheters and Incidences of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections : Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City conducted this improvement program.
• The Reduction of Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection in Unfunded Dialysis Patients: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center implemented this program.
• The Development of a Standardized Process for the Review of Key Indicators Associated with Surgical Site Infections: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center implemented this program.
• The Addressing of Medical Provider Noncompliance with Infection Control Measures: A Netherlands hospital undertook this project.
• The Reduction in the Rate of Colon and Vascular Surgical Site Infections: At a West Virginia medical center, surgical site infection rates decreased by 91 percent, with an estimated potential annual savings of more than $1 million.
• A Program to Improve Hand Washing and Proper Hand Hygiene: Increased education and other interventions significantly increased compliance.
• A Reduction in the Number of In-Facility Falls and Injuries due to Falls: At 100 acute and long-term United States VA facilities, researchers implemented a quality improvement program that led to 34 percent of those facilities reporting a reduction in the number of falls and 38.9 percent reporting a reduction in major injuries due to falls.

Improving the Treatment of Sepsis

Thibodaux Regional Medical Center in Louisiana embarked on a quality improvement program to reduce the number of patients who die from sepsis at its hospital . The quality improvement team implemented new protocols that followed best practices, improved the hospital’s analytics systems, and helped educate medical providers with data. After the team instituted the improvements, sepsis rates at the hospital declined to half the national average.

To learn more about the Thibodaux quality improvement program, check out “CQI in Healthcare: Principles, Process, and Tools.”

Examples of Quality Improvement Projects in the Continuity of Care for Patients

About one third of the residents of long-term care facilities transfer to a hospital every year — many not able to communicate their medical needs. Communication and transfer reports between caregivers at each facility is often poor, resulting in unnecessary tests, increased hospital stays, and other issues. The University of Toronto hospital embarked on a quality improvement program to improve those communications. Other projects include the following:

• The Improvement in the Continuity of Maternity Care : The Naval Hospital in Camp Pendleton, California implemented this program.
• The Provision of Complete Discharge Instructions to the Heart Failure Patient : Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan undertook this project.
• Early Experience with the Implementation of the I-PASS Handoff Bundle: Boston Medical Center’s Graduate Medical Education Program conducted this study.
• The Improvement of Patient Understanding at Discharge: Medical Student Enhanced Patient Education: Boston University conducted this quality improvement program.
• The Improvement of Patient Handoffs in OR-ICU and OR-OR Settings: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center conducted this quality improvement program.

Reducing Unnecessary Antibiotic Use

Stanford Healthcare implemented a quality improvement program to reduce the use of unnecessary antibiotics. The use of such antibiotics often doesn’t help patients, exposes them to unnecessary risks, and fosters the development across the world of drug-resistant bacteria.

Since 2012, Stanford has reduced its use of certain antibiotics by 50 percent and has stopped using an expensive antibiotic medicine that was sometimes administered to treat respiratory virus infections in certain patients. Stanford determined that there were no benefits to patients using the medicine.

Examples of Quality Improvement Projects in Reducing the Use of Expensive Technology and Care When It Won’t Help the Patient

The University of California at San Diego hospital implemented a quality improvement program to reduce the number of heart patients in special telemetry beds (which allow for continuous heart monitoring) when the patients received no benefit from that constant monitoring. Other projects include the following:

• The Reduction of the Overuse of Cardiac Telemetry through the Implementation of Guideline-Specific Electronic Order Sets: Boston Medical Center implemented this program.
• The Reduction of Continuous Pulse Oximetry Use: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital initiated this campaign for patients with asthma and bronchiolitis.
• The Detection of the Overuse of Renal Ultrasound to Diagnose Obstructive Acute Kidney Injury: Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at New York City-based Mount Sinai Hospital implemented this program.

Examples of Quality Improvement Projects in Reducing Unnecessary Medical Procedures that Can Increase Patient Risks and Medical Costs

Restricting blood transfusions to only patients who unquestionably need them results in better outcomes for all patients. Rush University Hospital in Chicago implemented a quality improvement program to decrease the number of blood transfusions it performed every year. In the 13 months following the implementation of the change, blood transfusions were reduced by 36 percent. Other projects include the following:

• The Reduction of Unnecessary Lab Orders on the Inpatient General Internal Medicine Service: Boston University conducted this study.
• A Resident-Led QI Initiative to Reduce Serum Folate Testing in a Primary Care Clinic: The Louis Stokes VA Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio implemented this initiative.
• The Reduction of Unnecessary Routine Post-Operative CBCs in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia implemented this initiative.

Examples of Quality Improvement Projects in Reducing Health Inequities among Groups of Patients

About 30 percent of patients at Boston Medical Center had limited English proficiency, and the hospital had no system to ensure that families had in-person language interpreters when doctors were making their daily rounds to check on patients in the hospital’s pediatric ward. The center implemented a quality improvement program with the goal of having language interpreters available for at least 75 percent of daily rounds visits. Other projects include the following:

• The Use of Technology and an Evidence-Based, Outcome-Led Approach to Reducing Health Inequalities for People with Learning Disabilities : UK-based Home Farm Trust undertook this project.
• Screening for and Tracking Social Determinants of Health in a Federally Qualified Health Center: The Oregon Health & Science University undertook this project.

Examples of Quality Improvement Projects in Surgical Outcomes

A multidisciplinary team at Stanford Healthcare — including surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, physical therapists, and others — worked on quality improvement initiatives to improve patient care before and after surgery. The initiatives tried to better manage pain in patients, reduce opiate use, and get patients walking and moving more quickly after surgery. The overall goal was to reduce the stress of surgery and promote quicker surgical recoveries.

Other projects include the following:

• Post-Operative Venous Thromboembolism Prevention in Thoracic Surgery: Implementing the Caprini Risk Assessment Model: ​Boston University implemented this project.
• The Effect of a “SMaRT” Enhanced Recovery Pathway for Elective Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center conducted this study.

Examples of Quality Improvement Projects in Managing and Increasing Efficiencies for Patient Service: Appointments, Discharges, Follow-Up Care, and Emergency Department Service

Delays in discharging patients from a hospital at the appropriate time is frustrating to patients and costly for both patients and hospitals. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center worked on a quality improvement project to improve the process and allow for discharges soon after medical providers determine that patients are ready to be discharged . After the hospital implemented the project, at least four fifths of patients were discharged within two hours of meeting the medical criteria for discharge — which also meant an estimated $5.9 million in yearly cost savings. Other projects include the following:

• The Formalization of Communication in Discharge Planning: Tulane University implemented this project.
• The Use of Electronic Data to Identify Bottlenecks in Secondary Care on Weekends and Improve Patient Flow : Royal Derby Hospital in the U.K. initiated this project.
• The Decrease of the Failed Appointment Rate for Flexible Sigmoidoscopy : Harbor-UCLA Medical Center implemented this project.
• The Surprising Complexity of Decreasing Patient Visit Times at a Student-Run Clinic: Emory University conducted this study.
• The Decrease in Patient Visit Durations at a Student-Run Free Clinic through a Clinic Flow Intervention: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center implemented this program.
• A Program to Decrease Total Patient Time Spent During a Routine Clinic Appointment: This program included interventions to properly direct non-English-speaking patients to a check-in desk. These interventions increased the efficiency with which these patients saw providers and finished appointments.
• The Reduction of Time in the Emergency Department for Minor Illness and Injuries: A Maryland Hospital implemented this program.

Examples of Quality Improvement Projects in Operational Efficiencies in a Medical Facility

A student-run, free health clinic at the University of South Florida worked on a quality improvement project to increase the efficiency of patient care. The clinic had a four-month wait time for routine appointments. The project’s aim was to increase efficiency and reduce the time it took for medical providers to see patients and complete patient visits. Other projects include the following:

• Lean Principles in the Anesthesiology Technician Workflow: Decreasing Waste to Improve Value-Added Time: Tulane University implemented this project.
• The Optimization of the Efficient Use of Intensive Care Unit Patient Rooms: Stanford Healthcare implemented this project.

To learn more about quality improvement projects in nursing care and get a specific guide on improved nursing care, check out “Quality Improvement in Nursing 101: Strategies, Examples and Tools.”

Hypothetical Example Projects from the American College of Physicians

The American College of Physicians offers some guidance on quality improvement projects , including a number of example projects that medical facilities throughout the U.S. could tackle.  Example projects include the following:

• Document that your providers have checked with patients as to whether they’ve had an influenza vaccination.
• Make a list of diabetic patients from 19 to 59 years old and determine whether or not they’ve had a Hepatitis B vaccination.
• Conduct a review of your facility’s healthcare workers to determine whether or not they’ve had immunizations for hepatitis B, measles, mumps and rubella, and varicella.
• Provide information to pregnant women about the Tdap vaccine, which contains vaccines for tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis.
• Identify patients who have started the series of vaccinations against the human papillomavirus (HPV) and send those patients a reminder to get the follow-up dose.
• Use Medicare’s Hospital Compare data to track your organization’s rates of vaccinations for influenza and pneumococcal pneumonia.

To learn more about steps to implement a quality improvement program, features of an effective program, and how to measure results, check out “A Business Guide to Effective Quality Improvement in Healthcare.”

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Challenges and strategies for conducting research in primary health care practice: an integrative review

Daiana bonfim.

1 Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein - Albert Einstein Center for Studies, Research, and Practices in Primary Health Care and Networks, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Lorrayne Belotti

Leticia yamawaka de almeida, ilana eshriqui, sofia rafaela maito velasco, camila nascimento monteiro, adelson guaraci jantsch.

2 Executive Secretariat of Organization Open University of the Unified Health System (UNASUS), Brasilia, Brazil

Associated Data

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

Providing accessible and high-quality patient-centered healthcare remains a challenge in many countries, despite global efforts to strengthen primary health care (PHC). Research and knowledge management are integral to enhancing PHC, facilitating the implementation of successful strategies, and promoting the use of evidence-based practices. Practice-based research in primary care (PC-PBR) has emerged as a valuable approach, with its external validity to diverse PHC settings, making it an effective means of translating research findings into professional practice.

To identify challenges and strategies for conducting practice-based research in primary health care services.

An integrative literature review was conducted by searching the PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Lilacs databases. The research question, guided by the PICo framework, directed the execution of study selection and data extraction. Data analysis followed the RAdAR method's three phases: pre-analysis, data analysis, and interpretation of results.

Out of 440 initially identified articles, 26 met the inclusion criteria. Most studies were conducted in high-income countries, primarily the United States. The challenges and strategies for PC-PBR were categorized into six themes: research planning, infrastructure, engagement of healthcare professionals, knowledge translation, the relationship between universities and health services, and international collaboration. Notable challenges included research planning complexities, lack of infrastructure, difficulties in engaging healthcare professionals, and barriers to knowledge translation. Strategies underscore the importance of adapting research agendas to local contexts, providing research training, fostering stakeholder engagement, and establishing practice-based research networks.

The challenges encountered in PC-PBR are consistent across various contexts, highlighting the need for systematic, long-term actions involving health managers, decision-makers, academics, diverse healthcare professionals, and patients. This approach is essential to transform primary care, especially in low- and middle-income countries, into an innovative, comprehensive, patient-centered, and accessible healthcare system. By addressing these challenges and implementing the strategies, PC-PBR can play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between research and practice, ultimately improving patient care and population health.

Introduction

Despite global efforts toward strengthening primary health care (PHC) in the last 40 years, providing accessible and good quality patient-centered health care is still a challenge to most countries. Recently, the report Operational Framework for Primary Health Care (2020) released by the World Health Organization reinforced the principles of the Astana Declaration highlighting 14 levers that must be simultaneously pulled to promote PHC across the world [ 1 ].

One of those 14 “operational levers” describes the importance of conducting research that is meaningful for PHC: “ Research and knowledge management, including dissemination of lessons learned, as well as the use of knowledge to accelerate the scale-up of successful strategies to strengthen PHC ” [ 1 ] . Although conducting research that meets these premises is not simple, primary care practice-based research (PC-PBR) has become an important vehicle for the development of science in the real world, because of its external validity to other PHC settings and contexts, making knowledge translation easier to put evidence into professional practice [ 2 ].

PC-PBR occurs in the context of patient health care in the community, according to Dolor et al. (2015), resulting in the research questions being primarily generated by the health services to respond to the needs of their territory [ 3 ]. PHC is responsible for serving as the first point of contact for patients, through which all health issues should be addressed. It serves as an ideal setting for conducting practice-based research, encompassing the implementation of innovations and studies aimed at enhancing the quality of care for various health conditions. These conditions span across diverse areas, including mental health [ 4 ] and chronic kidney disease [ 5 ]. Furthermore, it is also pertinent in the context of public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic [ 6 ].

One solution to foster this type of research is creating practice-based research networks (PBRNs). Their aim is to bring healthcare professionals, researchers, health managers, and academic institutions together, facilitating partnerships, and providing structure and technical support to healthcare professionals to carry out research projects that are developed and conducted in PHC settings to tackle important aspects of PHC [ 7 , 8 ]. They also help on the job of acquiring funding, capacity building, organizing the necessary logistics to put a research project in place and all sorts of tasks from study design to publication [ 3 , 9 ]. In this way, PBRNs seek to promote a culture of scientific research in an environment originally dedicated to health care [ 10 ] and to answer relevant questions about the local health needs of PHC services. According to Bodenheimer et al. (2005), PBRNs are increasingly seen as institutions that can simultaneously conduct research efficiently and leverage changes in practice [ 11 ], serving as laboratories for approaching important challenges to PHC.

However, a preview study [ 9 ] developed in Canada described some lessons learned to engage PBRLNs present aspects related to the need for continuity in ethics, regular team meetings, enhancing levels of engagement with stakeholders, the need for structural support and recognizing differences in data sharing across provinces.

Even though the literature on PC-PBR is growing, “How to implement a PBRN and how to scale PC-PBR?” and “How can a healthcare service become a setting for knowledge and innovation production?” are two questions still unanswered. Moreover, scenarios with incipient PHC could benefit from evidence-oriented policies and practice-oriented research. To answer these two questions, available information from places that already run PC-PBR projects needs to be systematized around the challenges, obstacles and solutions found by other researchers. Aiming to help researchers from low- and middle-income countries that are willing to produce research in primary care, we performed an integrative review identifying the challenges and strategies for carrying out PC-PBR.

An integrative literature review was performed based on the methodology proposed by Whittemore & Knafl (2005) [ 12 ] that includes (a) identification of the problem, (b) literature search, (c) evaluation, (d) analysis and (e) presentation of results. Differently from a systematic review, the broader focus of an integrative review enables the inclusion of studies using different methodologies (qualitative, quantitative and mixed) in the analysis and supplies the methodological rigor necessary for a broader understanding of one specific phenomenon [ 13 , 14 ].

Literature search

The research question was developed using the PICo framework (Population, Interest and Context). The elements were organized by P - Primary health care (PHC); I - Challenges and Strategies; Co - Practice-based research (PBR); resulting in the guiding question: “What are the challenges and strategies to carry out PBR in PHC?”. Data were collected in February 2022 by a librarian affiliated with the authors' institution from the databases PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Lilacs. The database selection was conducted to ensure comprehensive coverage of relevant literature, encompassing multidisciplinary and geographical perspectives related to practice-based research in primary care. The search utilized descriptions and keywords from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and Health Science Descriptors (DeCS), combined with the Boolean operators 'AND' and 'OR' (Table ​ (Table1 1 ).

Search strategies, according to the database and Boolean operators

Study selection

Articles in English, Spanish and Portuguese were included, regardless of their publication year. Review studies, essays, letters to the editor, studies conducted in non-PHC settings (e.g., emergency services), and those focused on specific health problems were excluded.

Two researchers independently screened the articles by title and abstract (SRMV e AGJ), and the disagreements were resolved through discussion and mediation by a third author (LB). Following this stage, the studies were read in their entirety by the same two authors. During this phase, any remaining disagreements regarding the final inclusion were examined and decided by the authors. In the study selection phase, the software Rayyan was employed as a tool for managing and screening research articles.

Data extraction

Information was systematically extracted from the selected articles and organized using a custom-designed spreadsheet, enabling the identification of key aspects essential for addressing the research question. These included author names, publication year, study type, study location, research objectives, methodologies employed, study populations, primary internal and external challenges encountered in operationalizing research within primary healthcare, and strategies offered for its effective implementation.

Data synthesis

The review followed a deductive approach that prioritized the extraction and summarization of studies included as the primary objective of the review and synthesis [ 15 ]. This process entails extracting the results from each included paper and categorizing them according to common themes or meanings. These categories are subsequently further organized, allowing for a summary that yields synthesized findings: practical and actionable guidelines suitable for informing policy and formulating strategies [ 16 ].

To achieve this, the data analysis followed the steps established by the three distinct phases of the RADaR method: pre-analysis, data analysis, and interpretation of the results [ 17 ]. In the pre-analysis stage, each article was read, and its information was extracted and stored in a spreadsheet created to summarize all articles included in the study. In the data analysis stage, the content was categorized according to the similarities of the barriers and challenges identified. Finally, in the interpretation of the results, a reflective and critical analysis of the content was conducted, summarizing the content into themes for analysis [ 17 ].

A total of 440 publications were identified in the databases. After excluding duplicate studies ( n =120) and those that did not answer the guiding question ( n =283), 37 studies were read in their entirety. Out of these, 11 were excluded as they did not meet the eligibility criteria. The final sample consisted of 26 studies (Fig.  1 ), with the majority being published in the past two decades and conducted in high-income countries (HICs), primarily in the United States of America ( n =13). Furthermore, a significant proportion of these studies were case studies focused on the medical profession (Table ​ (Table2 2 ).

Flowchart of study selection

Description of the primary studies included in the integrative literature review according to the lead author, year, country, objective, population, and type of study

NR Not Reported

During the data analysis, six overarching themes and 15 subthemes related to the challenges of carrying out PC-PBR emerged. Among these challenges, difficulties regarding research planning were noteworthy, with issues ranging from excessive bureaucracy to challenges in planning and developing a research project. The Engagement of health professionals in research was recognized as one theme encompassing four different subthemes: lack of training and experience in scientific writing; difficulties with foreign languages; previous negative research experiences; and fears of negative impacts on the healthcare team, patients and productivity. Challenges regarding knowledge translation detail the difficulties in applying the knowledge acquired from one article to a change in daily work. Infrastructure issues are related to the location of the health services and how dispersed they can be in one area, the lack of technological tools and the little access to funding resources to sponsor more robust and long-term projects. Finally, a weak relationship between universities and health services can lead to little – or even no – collaboration between research institutes and PHC practices. The lack of international partnerships is finally presented as one main challenge for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) since such collaborations could be helpful in building capacity for young research centers to address pressing issues in contexts where PHC is still very incipient (Table ​ (Table3 3 ).

Summary of findings on challenges for conducting PC-PBR

The strategies listed in the articles included in this review were organized according to the challenges described in the previous section. The following were highlighted: suggestions related to creating a research agenda adapted to each reality; training strategies to develop research skills; sharing the results with all stakeholders involved, from participants to health managers and decision-makers; and the importance of creating networks for practice-based research (Table ​ (Table4 4 ).

Strategies for conducting PC-PBR

Challenges and strategies for conducting PC-PBR

Research planning.

In this domain, a series of challenges related to designing a research plan are combined, such as developing and refining a research question, designing a strategy for data collection and data analysis, writing and submitting a proposal to the ethics board committee and the amount of time it takes to obtain the approval to start the project [ 8 , 9 , 11 , 18 , 30 , 32 , 35 ]. The time needed to carry out and conclude a study is often very different from the amount of time needed to make decisions in health care. Conducting a study with the length of time necessary to meet the needs for the transformation of health services is a difficult task, since managers and decision-makers may have more immediate expectations and hope for quick solutions to their problems [ 8 ]. To overcome this limitation, it is important that all stakeholders (managers, patients, health professionals, and researchers) are involved in the study, mainly to facilitate the understanding of the steps that one study needs to go through until its publication [ 9 , 18 , 38 ].

Engagement of health professionals in research

Some decision-makers and health managers fear that a research project can cause trouble in the way that a health facility is used to operate, impairing its productivity or even hindering the patients’ trust in the health service [ 8 , 18 , 21 , 30 , 31 , 35 , 36 ]. In addition, many managers see research projects as less important than practice, without acknowledging the possible benefits of research on patient care [ 28 ]. Researchers must bring these issues into debate with health managers and decision-makers so that barriers such as a lack of time dedicated to research, high caseloads limiting the time dedicated to research, and the need for institutional approval to allow professionals to participate in research projects can be overcome [ 26 ]. If this is not done, it will be difficult to create a routine of knowledge production and innovative research that integrates healthcare professionals, patients and researchers to create robust scientific evidence with an impact on the workplace, patient care and the quality of the services provided.

Knowledge translation

This theme, which is known as integrated knowledge translation in the current literature [ 39 ], involves the processes of generating, sharing, and applying knowledge, not necessarily in that specific order [ 8 , 32 ]. In theory, carrying out PC-PBR is a powerful resource to make knowledge translation happen, since research questions are created to answer local needs, relying on the participation of professionals – and sometimes the patients – in practice [ 32 ].

However, one of the barriers to knowledge translation lies in the difficulty of adapting the knowledge to contexts that are distinct from those where one study was held, e.g., results from HIC being translated to LMICs. This reinforces the need to involve all stakeholders in the stages of designing the project to describe the aspects of the context where the research will be held, outlining this information in the discussion section of the article as well, making it easier for the reader to understand its external validity [ 2 , 8 , 30 , 38 ].

The long time span for the publication of the study results in scientific journals, in addition to the high rejection rate, are factors that further delay the process of knowledge translation. Considering the dynamic nature of primary care services, studies should have a broad plan to disseminate results, to implement the evidence in a timely manner [ 30 ].

Infrastructure

Challenges related to infrastructure are frequently found in PC-PBR studies, from the distance between primary care services in rural settings and the difficulty of reaching some services to the often lack of technology resources, such as internet access, and patients’ electronic records [ 8 , 9 , 20 , 23 , 32 , 35 ].

The lack of reliable, sustainable, and systematic funding for PC-PBR research activities is the main obstacle to overcoming these infrastructure limitations and promoting the creation of PC-PBR [ 8 , 10 , 19 , 23 , 27 , 31 , 35 ]. Like every research initiative, PC-PBR needs to be supported with adequate and constant funding. For that reason, researchers must remain attentive and updated to identify funding opportunities [ 18 ].

Healthcare services produce a large volume of data every day. Information about healthcare procedures, prescriptions, patient profile, and all sorts of interactions between the patient and their healthcare providers. However, the quality of the information input and the way it is stored can limit its use [ 9 ]. It is essential for managers and stakeholders to verify how these data have been used, not only how practitioners use them for patient management but also for research, surveillance, and accountability [ 19 , 23 ].

Confidential information should be strictly and safely handled so that no patient information becomes public, allowing its use for research with no harm to the patient or for the practice [ 34 ]. For this purpose, all parties using these data must agree to a common commitment across the PC-PBR network to develop and implement research programs. Ideally, the research priorities should be established by the researchers and managers, with a clear evaluation of the capabilities of each practice, the information systems available and the whole network. When used appropriately, these real-world data can generate new knowledge from practice to improve patient care [ 18 ].

Relationship between universities and health services

Some studies highlighted the strains of integrating universities and health services [ 8 , 18 , 21 ]. The distance between these two scenarios can be explained by several factors: (a) the fact that academic priorities may not reflect the needs of the communities [ 8 ]; (b) weak connections between academia and primary care services [ 19 ]; (c) the lack of a mutual agenda between them combining common interests [ 25 ]; (d) the distance between researchers and health professionals [ 8 ]; and (e) the restricted access to specific research training courses run by universities, apart from formal master’s and doctorate courses [ 21 ]. Such training courses are usually offered during workdays, which limits the participation of those who work full-time as health care providers. Offering postgraduate courses in research aimed at health professionals that take advantage of the students’ experience to generate relevant research questions and new knowledge for healthcare could be transformative both for universities and health services. However, gathering individuals who traditionally work in different sectors is not easy. In addition, creating organizational structures that support primary care-based studies can demand financial resources, time, and people, which are not easily available [ 29 ].

Among the strategies found in the articles to overcome this challenge, it is important that the research questions arise from practice and that the roles of researchers, academics and health professionals are well-defined within the group. In addition, it is important to select a coordinator responsible for managing the research project and the tasks that need to be executed [ 30 , 34 ].

Implementing PC-PBR can bring results both for practice and academia, bringing together different professionals to achieve a common goal of improving patient care. Strengthening the interaction between academia and primary care services can help to promote the sustainable development of research projects in which health professionals can develop innovations in health care that can be studied and tested, creating a virtuous cycle beginning with raising questions from practice, conducting experiments, finding results and producing evidence that can serve the purpose of improving patient care and the health of the population [ 19 ].

Partnerships between countries

Despite this being a topic addressed in only two of the articles under analysis, promoting international partnerships can be a solution to many of the challenges mentioned here. However, such collaborations are not yet a reality for many countries. There is a shortage of international initiatives to promote research courses and training to bring together mentors from HIC and young researchers from LMICs and provide direction for conducting studies in contexts with few resources [ 8 ].

In addition, many professionals from LMICs who are involved in studies or education abroad end up migrating to other countries, contributing to the so-called “brain drain” of skilled professionals and worsening the inequality in scientific production between HICs and LMICs.

Addressing research projects within the local context and exploring opportunities for international collaboration is important enough to foster PBR and guide health professionals in places where universities and research institutes are not yet established. Moreover, it is important to consider the epidemiological profile, cultural aspects, and social determinants of health in every scenario involved when an international collaboration is planned. The different contexts of practice can enrich the research and establish comparisons that can be decisive for international scientific advancement [ 8 ].

The challenges and strategies for the implementation of PC-PBR indicate operational, structural, and political issues. One of the key aspects learned about planning a PC-PBR study is to identify and include all stakeholders (patients, employees, doctors and administration) in the development phase of the project, allowing for discussions about the study design and its implementation phases. This approach must become an integral part of the study, being comprehensive to addressing barriers to participation, obtain data, analyze and interpret the results and, finally, discuss its findings and implications. Additionally, planning data collection that demands little effort from health professionals can strengthen the study’s realization and the involvement of everyone.

In this context, it is important to emphasize that all challenges are even more pronounced in LMICs. In this regard, efforts are being made towards decolonization [ 40 ], encouraging research that validates the context and perspectives of local thinkers, thereby expanding the discussion to generate and incorporate evidence into real scenarios that value the knowledge of communities, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and researchers in LMICs. Therefore, the present study aimed to synthesize the challenges and strategies that underlie this discussion, but a gap was identified in terms of the production of this discussion in LMICs.

To address the issue of limited international collaborations in LMICs, it is crucial to explore targeted implications and strategies to surmount this constraint. Some viable strategies involve providing training and education in cultural sensitivity, thereby enhancing the efficacy of these partnerships. While international collaboration typically prioritizes partnerships with high-income countries, LMICs can also explore collaborations with other LMICs. Sharing knowledge, best practices and resources with neighboring countries facing similar challenges can result in mutually advantageous outcomes.

PC-PBR only happens if the professionals who are directly involved in patient care and health service management are integrated as part of the team of researchers, not just as the subjects of the research [ 8 , 36 ]. Although it is a great challenge, training healthcare professionals to conduct research in primary care is fundamental for the success of these projects [ 23 , 24 ].

Alternative research approaches, such as implementation research, have advanced and grown as new strategies to reduce the gap between research and practice, mainly because they systematically approach the factors that contribute to this gap, understanding the context and identifying barriers and solutions for delivering sustainable and effective health care [ 41 ]. Thus, to make progress in overcoming these structural barriers it is important to understand the essential pieces of the research process, without which a project will likely die prematurely. One of these elements is the minimal infrastructure needed for PC-PBR research projects to be long-lasting and sustainable [ 9 , 23 ].

The studies under analysis point out that the most promising way for this to happen is through collaboration between primary care services, universities, and research institutes. In addition, these collaborations can provide training in research skills for health professionals, creating an environment conducive to exchanging experiences, ideas, and questions about the practice. All these suggestions will help to create a research agenda oriented toward solving real issues related to taking care of patients in primary care, which is the main objective of conducting PC-PBR [ 8 ].

The distance between universities and primary care settings is recurrently cited. This issue reinforces the idea that there is a place where knowledge is produced (universities and academia) that is different from the places where health care occurs. In other words, primary care is seen as a place where scientific evidence produced by academia is put into practice.

Conducting scientific research within primary care practices is innovative and can create ruptures and conflicts when it affects the way the job is done or when it takes people out of their comfort zones. By placing health professionals—and at times, patients—as agents of research production, PC-PBR can change the way new knowledge is produced. If knowledge is traditionally produced in academia and then taken as a truth by the place where patient care occurs, PC-PBR can not only generate new knowledge to change professional practice but also bring new evidence to change the way academia works, guiding new research that is better aligned with reality [ 34 ].

In some countries, a more horizontal construction of new evidence and knowledge translation can be seen between academia and healthcare practice. In Australia, for example, PBR protocols are designed to build a sustainable collaboration between a PBRN and an Advanced Center of Research and Translation in Health to build a research platform for planning, conducting and translating research evidence to improve care across the healthcare spectrum [ 42 ].

Aligned with the need for partnership between universities and practices, international collaborations are also an opportunity to guide professionals in places where universities and research institutes are not yet established. Cases such as Australia and New Zealand, where two PBR networks were established to encourage research in the area of osteopathy, show that PBRN has the potential to facilitate the access of professional researchers and clinics that are interested in collaborating with clinical tests and, thus, offer the scientific community an opportunity to conduct research with different methodologies in diverse contexts [ 42 ].

Regarding the difficulties in engaging health professionals in PC-PBR, some examples listed in the articles were little experience in scientific writing, difficulties reading articles in foreign languages, limited self-trust and lack of training to start and conduct studies. Thus, studies recommend that universities and research institutes organize training courses to develop research skills and exchange experiences to determine shared research priorities [ 8 ].

Although essential, the development of research skills is not enough for professionals to engage with and incorporate studies into their places of practice. For PC-PBR projects to advance, leadership is necessary to influence policymakers and managers and advocate for studies to be directly connected with the practice where health care happens.

The majority of the selected studies highlighted the medical category in the discussion about PBR. However, it is important to expand the professional composition of PC-PBR beyond and consider other categories to organize more participative and multidisciplinary studies. All health professionals must be invited to interact and collaborate with scientific activities and implement new projects. The inclusion of all health professionals, including community health workers, nursing assistants, and dental hygienists, who are commonly found in LMICs, can improve the development of research projects that will better take into consideration the patients’ and the territory’s needs [ 8 ].

Implementing PC-PBR goes beyond research production, since the results of the studies produced by researchers, health professionals, users and managers, in addition to the lessons learned, are shared with the health service where the study was held, bringing greater transparency to the entire process and motivating more health professionals to actively participate in future research projects [ 38 ].

Limitations

This review was limited to the literature that reported lessons learned and experiences conducting PC-PBR since few empirical studies with primary data from practice were found. Additionally, there is little representation from LMICs. This limits the conclusions of this review to the contexts described herein, i.e., HIC, where PHC already has a solid structure and a robust research production. Exploring studies performed in PC-PBR networks and identifying their strengths and weaknesses would be a step forward in this sense, but it would demand greater operational efforts. However, this is the first review that is necessary for the advancement of primary care research mainly in LMIC.

The challenges for implementing PBR are similar in the contexts analyzed, showing that turning one place that was originally designed for delivering primary care into a place of knowledge production is not a trivial task. The benefits depicted in the studies show that transforming the traditional methods of knowledge production and translation through PC-PBR can generate a virtuous cycle, providing criticism and reflection about the practice and generating innovations and new knowledge to improve healthcare and patients’ health and well-being.

Additionally, the found strategies point to the need for lasting and systemic actions involving health managers, decision-makers, academics, different types of health professionals and patients, aiming to transform PHC practice in the long term. Despite being more the exception than the rule, PC-PBR has the potential to transform a PHC system that is still under development into an innovative, socially accountable, more comprehensive, accessible, and patient-centered healthcare approach. Furthermore, recognizing the transformative potential of PC-PBR, it becomes imperative to explore strategies for scaling these practices and approaches, ultimately having a broader and more profound impact on the entire primary healthcare system.

Acknowledgment

Not applicable.

Authors’ contributions

Conception and planning of the study: DB and AGJ. Writing the main manuscript text: DB, LB, LYA, IEO, SRMV, CNM, AGJ. Analysis and interpretation: DB, LB, LYA, IEO, SRMV, CNM, AGJ. All the authors read and gave final approval for the final version to be published and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

The study received no funding.

Availability of data and materials

Declarations.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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A new $250M approach to addressing health care patients’ food insecurities

Penn plays a major scientific role in new initiative backed by the american heart association- and rockefeller foundation-led consortium..

Perelman School of Medicine professor and Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics senior fellow Kevin Volpp , has become the Scientific Leader of a new national 10-year, $250 million research and advocacy program designed to find cost effective approaches to improving health through greater access to healthy food for patients with chronic conditions and food or nutrition insecurities (not enough food or unhealthy diets). The initiative is called Health Care by Food ™ (HCXF).

Coordinated by the American Heart Association with support from the Rockefeller Foundation and other funders, HCXF involves more than 100 researchers and members of 25 community-based organizations and food-related companies across the country.

Volpp, the Mark V. Pauly President’s Distinguished Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School, and director of the Penn Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE) is an internationally renowned expert in the field of behavioral economics.

The idea for what became the HCXF research initiative was first publicly announced at the September 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health . Subsequently, the Association’s Journal Circulation published “ Food Is Medicine: A Presidential Advisory from the American Heart Association ,” a paper produced by a team headed by Volpp. The paper outlined the logic and blueprint for a national program to develop evidence to inform interventions that could drive nutrition-related sensitivities and solutions deeper into the daily operations of the national health system.

The grant is one of the ways Penn leads on great challenges of our time by addressing the issue of food insecurity with policy and outreach expertise.

“There is growing recognition of the impact of social determinants of health and health behaviors among health systems and health plans,” Volpp says. “Part of the American Heart Association HCXF initiative’s goals will be to design program implementation in such a way so as to minimize incremental effort for the health system in referring patients with nutrition insecurity and chronic conditions, as appropriate, to food is medicine programs. As more and better evidence is developed it will become easier to know to which programs to refer individuals to help them improve their health as cost effectively as possible.”

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Assessing disparities in occurrence of type 2 diabetes adverse drug events in minority populations using real world administrative claims and electronic health records

CERSI Collaborators: Hadi Kharrazi, MD, PhD, FAMIA, FACMI; Jonathan P Weiner, DrPH; Elham Hatef, MD, MPH; Martin Bishop, PharmD, MS, BCACP; Hsien-Yen Chang, PhD; Chris Kitchen, MSc.

FDA Collaborators: Qi Liu, PhD, MStat; Christine Lee, PharmD, PhD; Hao Zhu, PhD, MStat.; Yueqin Zhao, PhD; Yandong Qiang, MD, PhD, MHS, MPH; Anuradha Ramamoorthy, PhD; Richardae Araojo, PharmD, MS (Formerly of FDA); Justin Penzenstadler, PharmD, MS.

Project Start Date: August 1, 2020 Project End Date: August 31, 2023

Regulatory Science Challenge

Adverse drug events (ADEs) are costly and largely mitigable and preventable. Severe hypoglycemic (SHG) events are serious ADEs experienced by patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). SHG events trigger the extreme drop of blood sugar level thus leading patients to experience confusion, disorientation, seizure, loss of consciousness, and sometimes coma. SHG events require immediate medical attention and often result in admission to emergency departments (ED). Most of these ED admissions can be avoided if patients can recognize the signs and symptoms of severe hypoglycemia and manage their medications appropriately. The increasing burden of SHG events has been recognized as an important public health issue, potentially affecting millions of patients. For example, in 2008, hypoglycemia was identified as the third most common ADE among Medicare beneficiaries, while nearly all identified cases of hypoglycemia were considered preventable 1 . Moreover, clinically significant hypoglycemia has shown to affect 2 to 5 percent of hospitalized patients with diabetes 2 , 3 .

The National Action Plan for Adverse Drug Event Prevention1 recognizes that specific patient populations may be more vulnerable to ADEs than others. These populations include individuals with deprived socioeconomic status, inadequate health literacy level, limited access to health care services, and ethnic and racial populations. Unfortunately, racial and ethnic minority populations often experience SHG events more than others. Research is needed to understand the factors associated with higher levels of SHG events in minority populations with T2D.

Project Description and Goals

This project aimed to assess potential racial and ethnic disparities in the occurrence and prognosis of T2D patients experiencing severe hypoglycemic (SHG) events. In collaboration with FDA’s subject matter experts, a team of investigators at the Johns Hopkins Center for Population Health IT (CPHIT), used retrospective clinical data extracted from the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute’s electronic health record (EHR) system to improve the identification of SHG, especially among racial and ethnic minority populations such as Black/African American populations. The research team also explored the potential textual patterns captured in clinical notes when racial and ethnic minority populations express SHG events compared to other patients. Findings from this study can support FDA and other regulatory agencies to better inform patients and clinicians on potential differences in preventing SHG events among racial and ethnic minority populations with T2D.

Research Outcomes/ Results

• The study team used a combination of diagnostic, medication, and laboratory test values to identify patients with T2D. A total of 139k patients, 16+ years old, with T2D were identified using EHR data across three years (2017 to 2019). Close to 34.7% of this population were Black/African American people, while 52.5% were White people, 5.5% were Asian people, and 7.3% were identified as other races or ethnicity. Although social determinant of health data is considerably under captured in clinical settings as structured code, around 2.5% of this population had a code indicating transportation challenges, while 1.8% had housing challenges, and close to .5% expressed food insecurity. The average adapted diabetes complications severity index (aDCSI) of the study population was 1.044 across the years. The mean Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) was close to 2.34 across the years.
• Using a combination of diagnostic and laboratory test values, an average of 2.3% of the patients were identified experiencing an SHG event in any of the given years. The share of Black/African American patients who experienced SHG was higher (3.2%) than White (2.1%) and Asian (1.5%) patients. Patients in the age groups of 16-24 and 85+ years old had a higher rate of SHG events (4.7% and 3.3%) compared to other age groups in the study population (i.e., SHG prevalence ranged between 2.1% and 2.5% among other age groups).
• Mining EHR’s clinical notes increased the number of patients who were identified as having experienced an SHG event. Using pattern matching algorithms that are designed to identify sign and symptoms of SHG in clinical notes of patients, increased the population of patients who have experienced SHG by 16%, while using a more advanced natural language processing technique increased the SHG population by 18%.
• Models predicting the occurrence of an SHG event in the same year (i.e., current) or next year (i.e., prospective) revealed that being in the 16-24 year age group (OR 5.14 (CI 4.28-6.17) for concurrent and & 2.62 (CI 2.02-3.40) for prospective prediction), having food insecurity (OR 2.34 (CI 1.91-2.86) & 3.44 (CI 2.68-4.40)), sustaining housing challenges (OR 1.91 (CI 1.68-2.18) & 2.32 (CI 1.95-2.76)), administrating insulin (OR 4.33 (CI 4.04-4.64) & 1.77 (CI 1.60-1.96)), or taking alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (OR 2.27 (CI 1.43-3.60) & 1.94 (CI 0.97-3.89)) significantly increase the likelihood of an SHG event.
• The “Black/African American” race variable had an odds ratio of 1.30 (CI 1.18-1.44) in predicting an SHG event in the current year among the study population. This effect was measured after controlling for demographic (e.g., age, sex), clinical (e.g., aDCSI index), medication (e.g., diabetes medications), and social determinant of health (e.g., transportation, housing, food insecurity) variables. The odds ratio increased to 1.46 (CI 1.34-1.58) for the Black/African American race variable when predicting an SHG event in the next year. The odds ratio of the Black/African American race slightly decreased when the SHG population were expanded using the EHR’s clinical notes (e.g., OR in the prospective model slightly decreased to 1.37 when SHG events identified by the natural language processing techniques were added to the overall SHG population).

Research Impacts

• Supporting a collaboration: This project has facilitated a strategic collaboration between FDA’s subject matter experts and the Johns Hopkins researchers. The topics of collaboration ranges from ADEs, to diabetes, predictive modeling, population health informatics, real world data (e.g., EHRs), minority health, and health equity research.
• Peer-reviewed publications and conference presentation: The study team has planned two scientific manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals. The first manuscript will describe the value of EHRs in identifying SHG events among T2D patients. The second manuscript will discuss the underlying racial and ethnic disparities in the occurrence of SHG events among T2D patients. The study team has also planned to submit an abstract to the next AMIA (American Medical Informatics Association) symposium discussing the challenges in using real world data to identify SHG events in racial and ethnic minority populations.
• Future research: This study has led to follow-up discussions between FDA and Johns Hopkins experts to further explore the possibility to secure internal or external funding to support health disparities research in the regulatory science domain using real world data.
• 1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2014). National Action Plan for Adverse Drug Event Prevention. Washington, DC: Author. https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/ADE-Action-Plan-508c.pdf (Accessed May 5, 2022)
• 2 Cook CB, Kongable GL, Potter DJ, Abad VJ, Leija DE, Anderson M. Inpatient glucose control: a glycemic survey of 126 U.S. hospitals. J Hosp Med. 2009 Nov;4(9):E7-E14. doi:10.1002/jhm.533 . PMID: 20013863.
• 3 Wexler DJ, Meigs JB, Cagliero E, Nathan DM, Grant RW. Prevalence of hyper- and hypoglycemia among inpatients with diabetes: a national survey of 44 U.S. hospitals. Diabetes Care. 2007 Feb;30(2):367-9. doi:10.2337/dc06-1715 . PMID: 17259511.

Patients' creative ideas can inform a health care organization's learning and innovation, finds study

R outinely collected patient experience surveys provide an opportunity for patients to share their creative ideas for improvement, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Researchers in Health Policy and Management developed and assessed a methodological strategy that validates questions designed to elicit creative ideas from patients.

Until now the pace of translating patient insights into innovation has been slow and its effectiveness inadequate. The findings are published in the journal, The Milbank Quarterly.

"Our study contributes to the generation of ideas in the following ways: First, it enriches understanding of an overlooked form of patient knowledge—patients' creative ideas. Second, it contributes to health services research by offering a rigorously tested methodology for eliciting their creative ideas and how their experiences could be improved within the context of their own health systems," said Yuna Lee, Ph.D., Health Policy and Management professor and first author.

For the past decade, the National Academy of Medicine has envisioned learning health systems in this way for American health care—using knowledge obtained directly from their patients to achieve high-quality, patient-centered care while containing costs at the same time.

It is critical for health care organizations to consider how to report and use these data in health care delivery and quality improvement, according to Lee. "Our research is the first to fully assess the potential of creative ideas of patients across diverse populations. My colleagues and I believe that a valid and reliable method for eliciting creative ideas from patients can be deployed as part of routine quality improvement in health care organizations."

Lee and colleagues conducted multistage mixed-method studies of patients' creative ideas in two field study stages. The first stage included survey development and testing with a representative sample of 600 adult patients from New York State and their creative ideas.

The survey evaluated narrative elicitation methods that integrate open-ended questions into routine survey operations, Of four options tested, the final open-ended question generated roughly double the number of actionable items and highly creative ideas. This question was distinct in its approach to induce creativity explicitly.

They also found that certain subgroups of patients possessed a unique vantage point for especially actionable and/or especially creative ideas. "We contend that patients generate more actionable and creative ideas when explicitly invited to share such ideas, especially patients with negative health care experiences, those from minority racial/ethnic backgrounds, and those with chronic illness," observed Lee.

"Inviting patients to generate and share their creative idea may support their agency and autonomy in health care systems that need more of both and that seek to create more opportunities for patient feedback and empowerment."

The second-stage field study was a real-world health systems test with a sample of 2,948 creative ideas from 1,892 patient surveys from a large health system in New York City. Lee and team collected ideas from patients who completed patient care experience surveys over 18 months from July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021).

They found four possibilities for patients' creative ideas to enable learning for innovation: they could solve extant challenges and identify patient experience "pain points," specify new interventions when generating solutions is important, amplify exceptional practices or people which may enhance morale of clinicians and staff, or forecast hopes for the future, providing important input for strategic planning.

While patients are routinely recognized as an important source of knowledge, and their insights have been routinely extracted, the pace of translating these insights into innovations has been slow and effectiveness inadequate. Learning from patients' creative ideas through effective methods, the research team hypothesized that these shortfalls could be at least partly rectified.

While not all patient recommendations may be immediately put into practice, they can infuse fresh perspectives into existing practices and proposed innovations, helping to identify those meriting resource or time investment, according to Lee.

"In a journey from idea generation to implementation, patients' creative ideas as a source of knowledge are a valuable starting point, providing important input for organizational strategic planning and forecasting, and providing a sense of what patients value and hope for the future," said Lee.

Co-authors are Rachel Grob, University of Wisconsin; Ingrid Nembhard, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; Dale Shaller, Shaller Consulting Group: and Mark Schlesinger, School of Public Health, Yale University.

More information: Yuna S. H. Lee et al, Leveraging Patients' Creative Ideas for Innovation in Health Care, The Milbank Quarterly (2023). DOI: 10.1111/1468-0009.12682

Provided by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health