In 2003, Ethnicity and Medicine will publish a special issue on the work
of the MEDTEP Centers (Ethnicity and Health, 2002; 7(4);
forthcoming). These appendices include a more detailed listing of
research findings from these Centers and a listing of references to these
findings.
Finding out what works in health care is critical in
an era of limited resources, increasing demand for health care, a rapidly aging
population, and soaring costs. Understanding the benefits and risks of available
treatments and knowing which treatments result in improved outcomes for patients
are essential to providing quality health care.
Congress created the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) in 1989 to
improve the quality, effectiveness, and appropriateness of health care and
access to that care. AHCPR more recently was renamed
the Agency for Heathcare Research and Quality(AHRQ).
Projects in the Medical Treatment Effectiveness Program
(MEDTEP) were designed to determine the strategies that are most
effective and cost effective for preventing, diagnosing, treating, and managing
clinical conditions.
MEDTEP had four essential elements: research,
development of data for research, development of clinical practice guidelines,
and dissemination of information to health care practitioners, consumers,
insurers, employers, policymakers, and others.
MEDTEP recently released
new
research findings from its 10 centers.
