AHRQ develops guide for patient registries.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is developing a "how to" reference guide to help healthcare organizations create patient registries for tracking the outcomes of medical treatments, including drugs. The guide, to be designed for government and private-sector entities, will provide criteria for evaluating registries and the quality of their data, as well as guidance on how registry data can be used to conduct valid scientific research. Researchers and others who have successfully developed and used patient registries will develop the guide. Outcome Science Inc. of Cambridge, Mass., under a contract with AHRQ, is organizing the project to be completed by the end of 2006. Duke University will provide additional scientific advice. For more information on the program, visit www.effectiveheahhcare.ahrq.gov.