I n the nearly 10 years since Bob Wachter and Lee Goldman coined the word hospitalist, 1 it has been inspiring to see the dramatic growth of this specialty and with it, the growth in membership of the Society of Hospital Medicine.
Over the same period, the health care system has made progress toward ensuring that it provides the safest, highest-quality health care possible.
In my mind, the two phenomena are related. The Society of Hospital Medicine, along with the hospitalist field more generally, has played a critical role in promoting the use of evidence-based care, improved teamwork, and health information technology, which can make a significant difference in the care patients receive in the hospital. Similarly, the mission of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. So, both of our organizations are working to create positive change that will improve the health and health care of all patients.
As a research agency, we support studies, systematic reviews, and evaluations that help to build the foundation of evidence for health care. However, our work goes beyond simply conducting, supporting, and disseminating health services research. At its heart, our mission is helping the health care system translate research into improved practice and policy. We do not see research as an end in itself but rather a vehicle to improve health care and health. We achieve our goals by working with our publicand private-sector partners to translate the research we support and conduct into knowledge and information that can be used immediately to improve health care for all Americans.
Health Information Technology
This commentary features AHRQ's quality-related initiatives, including promoting the use of health information technology to improve quality and safety, providing the tools to assess health care quality, and expanding training to promote quality improvement in local communities. Many of these tools are ideal for hospitalists to use in their mission to ensure high-quality care and an efficient and thorough handoff at discharge. AHRQ is at the leading edge of President Bush's vision of a health care system that harnesses the power of health information technology (IT) to improve quality. AHRQ has invested more than $166 million in more than 100 projects to promote the use of