Biomedical informatics and outcomes research enabling knowledge-driven health care

The conduct of outcomes research is an information-intensive endeavor and therefore benefits from the application of biomedical informatics approaches, resources, and platforms. It is our contention that a tighter integration of biomedical informatics, clinical care, healthcare policy, and outcomes research can advance improvements in healthcare research and practice. As the preceding overview of the current state of knowledge in these domains illustrates, such integration will require at the most basic level the development of teamscience approaches to outcomes research that include clinicians, researchers, and biomedical informaticians. However, the formation and support of such teams will not be possible without addressing some of the barriers and requirements summarized here. Building on the recent and ongoing advances in biomedical informatics and addressing the issues raised above create a tremendous opportunity to link research, healthcare delivery, and policy in such a way as to have a direct and emonstrable impact on the health and quality of life of the public.