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Peer Review: Study Section Descriptions

IRG Cluster	Function
Healthcare Systems Research (HSR)	This study section reviews applications concerned with the organization and functioning of the health care system. This focus encompasses system-level and market-level questions as well as investigations of the behaviors of health care organizations and individual providers and patients. Issues of translational and implementation research, health care markets, access, utilization, quality, cost/financing, improve organizational delivery systems or infrastructure and capacity building research, and the provider workforce are germane to this focus. Applications coming to this study section typically employ a quantitative, analytical approach to the subject matter, including behavioral modeling of health care system processes; qualitative examinations of the structure of new and emerging health care organizations are a focus as well. Applications containing statistical, economic and organizational analyses typically are reviewed by this study section, as well as applications analyzing large data sets, including medical claims files.
Healthcare Technology and Dissemination Sciences (HCTDS)	This study section reviews applications relating to: Quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Development and testing of quality improvement measures, methods, tools and indicators. Translational and implementation research, clinical outcomes and effectiveness. Technology/Health Information Technology assessment, information sciences, dissemination and implementation of health research findings and products by health care practitioners and administrators, policymakers and consumers, clinical practice guidelines, and technology assessments, clinical/translational decisionmaking process, systematic evaluations of clinical interventions. Randomized controlled clinical trials and clinical studies. Patient utilities, quality of life/satisfaction, including studies of patient utilities/morbidity/function for broad segments of populations or specific population groups (e.g., nursing home residents, Medicare beneficiaries, minorities, vulnerable populations, rural residents, children). Applications reviewed generally include the use of clinical (medicine, nursing, and other health care provider disciplines) interventions using sociological, demographic, economic, psychological, anthropologic, and other social science approaches (surveys, in-depth interviews, observations, experimentation, various clinical records and data and databases).
Healthcare Quality and Effectiveness Research (HCQER)	This study section reviews applications concerned with the organization and functioning of the health care delivery and access. This focus encompasses patient- and community-level and market-level questions as well as investigations of the behaviors of health care organizations and individual providers and patients. Issues of translational and implementation research, health care markets, access, utilization, quality, cost/financing and the provider workforce are germane to this focus. Applications coming to this study section typically employ a quantitative, analytical approach to the subject matter, including behavioral modeling of health care system processes; qualitative examinations of the structure of new and emerging health care organizations are a focus as well. Applications containing statistical, economic and organizational analyses typically are reviewed by this study section, as well as applications analyzing large data sets, including medical claims files.
Healthcare Research Training (HCRT)	This study section reviews applications requesting support for health care institutional and individual research training and career development and demonstrations and evaluations in topics spanning the entire spectrum of health services, including but not limited to, translational and implementation research, cost, quality, access, outcomes, and effectiveness. The study section will review applications submitted through the auspices of the National Research Service Awards (NRSA) (institutional T32 awards, individual fellowship awards [such as F32 postdoctoral awards and other similar programs]); requesting support for dissertation research (R36), curriculum development, training models, innovations (R25 awards), individual and program career development awards (K series grants), mid-career training enhancement awards, and training-related conferences and workshops (R13).

Current as of November 2006

Internet Citation:

Peer Review: Study Section Descriptions. November 2006. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/fund/peerrev/peerdesc.htm