Putting Evidence Into Practice: Articles from "Health Affairs" Fact sheet on outcomes research by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. Outcomes research is defined, and the fact sheet discusses what outcomes information is used for as well as how to measure outcomes This edition of Health Affairs, sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), provides a variety of perspectives on the challenges and potential rewards of building and using a stronger evidence base for health care decisions.Articles in this edition review the history and context of evidence-based decisionmaking; they describe the challenges of developing the most relevant evidence for different clinical and policy decisions. They discuss obstacles and opportunities for practitioners and policymakers seeking to implement evidence-based decisions.Accessibility Notice: Each article is linked to a PDF file. These files are not resident on a Government Web site and do not comply with the requirements for Federal information resources under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.Copyright © 2005, Health Affairs January-February 2005 (1). Linked with permission. Institutions with subscriptions to this journal should be able to access the full text of articles. Individuals without subscriptions may only be able to access the abstracts.ContentsFrom the EditorThe New Imperative: Producing Better EvidenceHistory and ContextPROLOGUE: Evidence-Based Medicine: History and ContextEvidence-Based Medicine: A Unified Approach, David M. EddyThe Promises and Pitfalls of Evidence-Based Medicine, Stefan Timmermans and Aaron MauckEvidence, Politics, and Technological Change, Annetine C. Gelijns, Lawrence D. Brown, Corey Magnell, Elettra Ronchi, and Alan J.MoskowitzCase StudiesPROLOGUE: Evidence-Based Medicine Case StudiesEvidence-Based Medicine and Policy: The Case of the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator, Mark A. Hlatky, Gillian D. Sanders, and Douglas K. OwensPERSPECTIVE: Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators: An Excellent Case Study, Marshall S. StantonEvidence, Economics, and Emphysema: Medicare's Long Journey with Lung Volume Reduction Surgery, Scott D. Ramsey and Sean D. SullivanSurrogate Endpoints and FDA's Accelerated Approval Process, Thomas R. FlemingEvaluating EvidencePROLOGUE: Evaluating EvidenceEvidence Based? Caveat Emptor!, Earl P. Steinberg and Bryan R. LuceWhen Is Evidence Sufficient?, Karl Claxton, Joshua T. Cohen, and Peter J. NeumannMaking Policy When the Evidence Is in Dispute, David Atkins, Joanna Siegel, and Jean SlutskyEvidence of Evidence-Based Health Policy: The Politics of Systematic Reviews in Coverage Decisions, Daniel M. FoxPERSPECTIVE: Using Evidence Reports: Progress and Challenges In Evidence-Based Decision Making, Mark HelfandPERSPECTIVE: Comparative Effectiveness: Asking the Right Questions, Choosing the Right Method, Steven M. Teutsch, Marc L. Berger, and Milton C.WeinsteinPERSPECTIVE: Evidence-Based Medicine in the United States—De Rigueur or Dream Deferred? Dan Mendelson and Tanisha V. CarinoImplementing EvidencePROLOGUE: Implementing EvidenceEvidence-Based Quality Improvement: The State of the Science, Kaveh G. Shojania and Jeremy M. GrimshawEvidence-Based Decision Making: Global Evidence, Local Decisions, Carolyn M. Clancy and Kelly CroninEvidence-Based Practice as Mental Health Policy: Three Controversies and a Caveat, Sandra J. TanenbaumPERSPECTIVE: Evidence-Based Guidelines as a Foundation for Performance Incentives, Alan M. GarberPERSPECTIVE: A Clinical Research Strategy To Support Shared Decision Making, Sean R. Tunis Current as of February 2005 Internet Citation: Putting Evidence Into Practice: Articles from "Health Affairs". February 2005. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/evidence-based-reports/evidence-into-practice.html