WASHINGTON – The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is offering career development research grants focused on healthcare IT. The grants will support the career development of clinical and research doctorates focusing on one of three health IT research areas. 

Career development grant applications will be funded for 3-5 years. Dissertation grant applications will be funded for 9 to 17 months.

The three health IT research areas are:

1. Health IT to improve the quality and safety of medication management; this includes the utilization of medication management systems and technologies; ambulatory health care providers and out-patient pharmacists’ use of electronic prescribing systems and/or medication management technologies; integration of evidence-based decision support for priority conditions within electronic prescribing systems; and, providing patients electronic tools to support medication self-management.
2. Health IT to support patient-centered care; this includes, but is not limited to, a focus on the coordination of care across transitions in care settings and the use of electronic exchange of health information to improve quality of care. Patient-centered care is responsive to the needs and preferences of individual patients, provides patients and/or their caregivers with access to their medical information, facilitates communication between patients, caregivers and providers, and empowers patients to be active participants in care decisions and in the daily management of their health and illnesses.
3. Health IT to improve healthcare decision making; this includes the development, implementation, and integration of health IT systems or applications through the use of integrated data and knowledge management. AHRQ encourages research projects and career development that will use health IT applications that apply principles to evidence-based medicine including the use of the best available evidence, health care providers’ ability to execute their best judgment, and consideration of patients’ expressed treatment preferences.

AHRQ is particularly interested in funding projects that fill known gaps in the field for each of the three research areas.

Given the breadth of each of these research areas and the limitation on time and financial resources of a single career or dissertation grant, one grant is not expected to single-handedly address all elements of a health IT research area, according to AHRQ. Rather, an applicant must describe how coursework, research, and/or mentorship, as appropriate, will provide a foundation and generate knowledge regarding elements of that research area. 

AHRQ recommends applicants review health IT evidence reports. In addition, applicants should review specific research topics of interest outlined in the recently published health IT funding opportunity announcements available at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-198.html and http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-199.html.