Healthcare Research Priorities in the USA

Abstract

What are the key healthcare research needs in the USA?
 One is that COVID-19 will remain a topic of interest. Be it in research on vaccines effectiveness, testing developments, clinical associations or social and economic impacts, the topic, like the virus, will not vanish of the research mapping in the USA. Additionally, on the back of its popularity, it is likely that the healthcare industry will support research on innovative technology solutions to help ensure healthcare equity. Health disparities between rural and urban populations in the U.S. has to be overcome. A critical success factor will be unlocking the vastness of unstructured healthcare data and making it widely accessible and actionable for stakeholders across care settings.
 A second topic is burnout affecting care teams as a key issue for healthcare organizations. Workforce shortages sweep the healthcare industry and the need for evidence on solutions remains high, especially studies on technology-based options for data management that can lower the pressure on healthcare professionals.
 A third topic stems from the need to generate more evidence on how Data from wearables can play a role in patient care. Wearable devices like watches and fitness trackers have brought increased health awareness to users and are generating new data that can be used to inform patient care and improve prevention services, especially at the primary care level. Mobile health technology needs further science applied to demonstrate its role in preventive medicine. 
 A fourth is the need for evidence on Precision Health. Its adoption already demonstrated in cancer care, current trends are pushing the precision health focus to all areas of care delivery.
 A fifth topic is that of evidence on more options for care at home, especially building from new developments on evidence concerning clinical effectiveness and impacts on patients' quality of life.