There are two lines of research in the programme. The first involves open calls for studies designed to address efficiency issues in health care practice. And there are also targeted calls for studies designed to address efficiency issues that come from policy parties in order to stimulate health care innovation, and to respond flexibly to current developments. More information on open calls and targeted calls.
Good, high-quality health care at an affordable price. That is what the Health Care Efficiency Research programme is about. Dutch health care is facing a growing shortage of resources. The demand for care is increasing, as is spending on health care. Decision-makers in the world of politics and of health care practice have to carefully weigh up the cost and effect of interventions. The Health Care Efficiency Research programme provides the knowledge they need to make those decisions. It helps provide an evidence base for innovative interventions so they can be introduced, and helps ensure that inefficient interventions are no longer applied in health care practice. In this way, we work with researchers, practitioners and policymakers to achieve good, affordable care.
Health care efficiency research must be practically oriented. The efficiency issues addressed are all matters that actually affect health care professionals, patients and policymakers. Working with them, researchers translate the issues into research proposals for studies that are performed in collaboration. These parties also work together to guarantee knowledge transfer and implementation.
Efficiency research must provide information on potential efficiency gains. Health benefits in relation to cost, in other words. Research results not only reveal the efficiency gain in the specific research setting, but also the expected efficiency gain if the practice studied is actually introduced.
Efficiency research must have a strong potential for implementation. The knowledge generated in the programme must be suitable for application by end users in both health care practice and policymaking. This may lead to the introduction of efficient interventions, but equally to the termination of interventions that have proven to be inefficient. Efficiency research ties in as closely as possible with current implementation activities in the field.