Research

I3PI investigators are on the cutting edge of research to measure and improve quality, particularly with the application of simulated visits. Drs. Weiner and Schwartz recently completed a large federally funded study of over 100 physicians in practices in two large metropolitan areas using simulated patients to collect data on variations in approaches to management and quality of care. Actors are trained to reproduce the same scenarios, behaviors and dress, enabling the research team to examine the influence of length of visit, physician experience, and many characteristics of the practice environment that could influence quality of care. The study has been published in Annals of Internal Medicine

Staff have also developed and validated a methodology for measuring how effectively care is individualized in the primary care setting. That work has been published in the journal of the Society of Medical Decision Making (MDM, 2007; 8(4):726-734). A new study, demonstrating an approach to improving medical student ability to individualize care, will appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2010.

I3PI Founder Dr. Saul Weiner was interviewed about research in individualizing care in the October 2008 issue of The Hospitalist journal, in the July 20, 2010 issue of the Chicago Tribune, and on Chicago Public Radio's Eight Forty-Eight show.