Learning Health System Resources

AHRQ Views Blogs have addressed the topic of learning health systems and the Agency’s work in supporting them:

• Promoting Change Through Learning: AHRQ Builds Momentum for Learning Health Systems.
• Widening the Circle of Support for Learning Health Systems.
• AHRQ and the National Academy of Medicine: A Shared Enthusiasm for Learning Health Systems.
• Momentum Is Building for Health Systems That "Learn".
• Bringing Moneyball to Medicine.
• You’re Invited: Join Our Conversation about Learning Health Care Systems.

AHRQ’s Request for Information in the Federal Register on Learning Health Systems sought information from healthcare delivery organizations about challenges they face and solutions they implement as they become learning healthcare systems and how AHRQ can assist them.

AHRQ sponsored a meeting to examine where the United States is in terms of progressing toward learning health systems and considered key actions to accelerate progress toward achieving continuous learning. Published summary: Accelerating Progress Towards Continuous Learning: A National Academy of Medicine Meeting Summary (PDF, 366 KB)

Evidence-based Practice Center Program

As part of AHRQ's commitment to accelerating the spread of evidence-based best practices across learning health systems, the Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) Program helps learning health systems use the evidence from AHRQ’s evidence reports to improve patient care. This webpage showcases projects by the EPC program, including a panel that guides product development, to help make evidence reports more useful for health systems.

Research on the Learning Health System

• Harrison MI, Borsky AE. How alignment between health systems and their embedded research units contributes to system learning. Healthc (Amst). 2023 Jun;11(2):100688.
• Chen PG, Harrison MI, Bergofsky L, St. Clair D, Mardon R, Raaen L, . Friedberg MW. Use of internal performance measurement to guide improvement within medical groups. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2019 Jul;45(7):487-94.
• Harrison M, Grantham S. Learning from implementation setbacks: identifying and responding to contextual challenges. Learn Health Syst. 2018 Sep 26;2(4):e10068.
• Harrison MI, Borsky A. Learning Health System Programs in Delivery Systems: Contributions & Limitations of Externally-Funded Implementation Research. Presentation at 14^th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation. 2021 December 15. 
• Harrison MI, Borsky A. Learning Health System Research Programs Within Delivery Systems—What Factors Affect Program Contributions? (PDF, 894 KB) AHRQ presentation. 2021 October 13.
• Harrison MI, Shortell S. Multi-level analysis of the learning health system: integrating contributions from research on organizations and implementation. learning health systems. Learn Health Syst. 2020 Apr 2;5(2):e10226.