Outcomes research: an interdisciplinary perspective

Outcomes achieved by healthcare providers are a function of patient clinical and demographic characteristics, baseline health status, delivered treatments and interventions, and setting characteristics. This article describes a prospective, interdisciplinary study of the outcomes of selected surgeries using both generic and condition-specific data collection instruments. The results of several different analyses are discussed, which illustrate the usefulness of such an effort for patients, nurses and physicians, the institution, and the respective disciplines in general.