What is Health Services Research?

Health Services Research (HSR) addresses the relationships between need, demand, supply, use and outcomes of health services.  HSR is concerned with the quality and effectiveness of health care processes and delivery.  It is strategically placed to interface with health research, clinical practice and health policy, and therefore able to improve the utilisation of research knowledge and best evidence to efficiently and effectively inform:

• Health care practice
• Guideline and program development
• Policy development

HSR is the strategic amalgam of a wide range of health-related research and management disciplines.  When united under the umbrella of HSR, these disciplines have potential which exceeds their individual contribution, encompassing health systems management, health economics, clinical epidemiology (evidence-based medicine), organizational change, information technology, social sciences research skills, biostatistics and operations research.

Successful health services research requires partnerships that transcend traditional enclaves, replacing the biomedical “discover and innovate” model with a more appropriate applied research model involving researchers in active collaboration with the community of practice (clinicians and managers) and policy makers. Sustainable health services research requires an investment in infrastructure: databases and information systems, and the requisite expertise including knowledge management, biostatistics, economics, human factors and operations research, and data and systems analytical skills.