Proof Positive

The nature of studies addressing hospitalist quality also poses some challenges. “Quality improvement interventions are harder to measure and are more institutionally dependent. Results can’t necessarily be translated from one institution to another,” explains Dr. Lindenauer.

He suggests that identifying funding sources for hospitalist studies will be an ongoing challenge. Researchers will be competing for an already shrinking number of dollars.

“The funding base for producing knowledge is limited, especially for studies that are not intrinsically disease-focused,” agrees Dr. Meltzer.

There is some organizational support for hospitalist researchers. For example, Dr. Phy notes that the SHM Web site will soon have a page where “you can list yourself and your clinical research interests, with the goal of hooking up with collaborators or mentors.”

The Third Generation

“At a certain point, we will turn our attention away from ‘navel gazing’—constantly assessing our impact—and accept that the hospitalist model is here to stay. Then hospitalists will begin to conduct research about the management of common conditions we take care of on a day-to-day basis—asthma, pneumonia, heart failure, COPD, and so on,” says Dr. Lindenauer. This is the third generation of hospitalist research, he suggests, adding, “This is where I would like to see the field evolve.” TH

Contributing Writer Joanne Kaldy wrote about psychiatric hospitalists in the October 2005 issue.

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