Outcomes research. Clues to quality and organizational effectiveness?

Outcomes research has often been touted as the best response to concerns about quality in today's health care organizations. Yet, outcomes research is accompanied by its own set of problems. These problems must be addressed if outcomes research is, in fact, to guide assessments of quality and of organizational effectiveness. One question is how quality and organizational effectiveness should be defined. In addition, measurement issues are particularly problematic in outcomes research, as is the availability of appropriate data. This article discusses each of these areas, and concludes by presenting an integrated model to guide the assessment of outcomes, quality, and organizational effectiveness.