Learning health systems

Abstract

Healthcare organizations have invested significant resources into integrating comprehensive electronic health record (EHR) systems into clinical care. EHRs digitize healthcare in ways that allow for repurposing of clinical information to support quality improvement, research, population health, and health system analytics. This has facilitated the development of Learning Health Systems. Learning health systems (LHS) merge healthcare delivery with research, data science, and quality improvement processes. The LHS cycle begins and ends with the clinician-patient interaction, and aspires to provide continuous improvements in quality, outcomes, and health care efficiency. Although, the health sector has been slow to embrace the LHS concept, innovative approaches for improving healthcare, such as a LHS, have shown that better outcomes can be achieved by engaging patients and physicians in communities committed to a common purpose. Here, we explore the mission of a pediatric LHS, such as PEDSnet, which is driven by the distinctive goals of a child's well-being. Its vision is to create a national LHS architecture in which all pediatric institutions can participate. While challenges still exist in the development and adoption of LHS, these challenges are being met with innovative strategies and strong collaborative relationships to reduce system uncertainty while improving patient outcomes.