Driving Clinical and Translational Research Using Biomedical Informatics - Translational Informatics: Realizing the Promise of Knowledge-Driven Healthcare - page 109

CTR, but also a framework for organizing the BMI theories and methods capable of
meeting those needs. These constructs ultimately provide a model for evaluating,
understanding, and planning for the BMI requirements of CTR projects, as well as
informing the ability to critically evaluate such plans and their implementation.

6.6 Implications for Stakeholders

When viewed in the context of the stakeholder and activities introduced in Chap. 2 ,
the advancement of CTS using BMI theories methods has a large number of poten-
tial benefi ts. Specifi c examples of these opportunities include the following:

Evidence and Policy Generators

￿ Researchers are increasingly approaching complex and systems - level prob-

lems via the formation and operation of multidisciplinary teams . These
teams can and will require the close coupling of BMI theories and methods with
fundamental CTR design principles in order to adequately address such needs.

￿ Policy generators need to be able to better “ connect the dots ” between basic

science research and the clinical application of the fi ndings generated therein .
The integration of BMI and CTR approaches enables the rapid and measurable
“cycling” of new evidence between such domains, thus enabling an argument for
clinical “actionability” that helps to drive critical policy and funding decisions.

Providers and Healthcare Organizations

￿ As personalized medicine paradigms become increasingly common, there is a
need for “ translational ” knowledge that bridges bio - molecular and clinical
phenotypes in a way that is useful to “ front line ” care providers . The coordi-
nated use of BMI and CTR methods provides an “engine” by which this type of
cross-domain and clinically actionable knowledge can be created and delivered
to the point-of-care.
￿ In order to realize the “ triple threat ” of improved quality , safety , and cost of
care , provider organizations need highly tailored and contextualized infor-
mation that serves to inform care delivery . The use of combined BMI and
CTR methods provides a basis for creating the knowledge base that is requisite
to such decision-making needs.

Patients and Their Communities

￿ Patients and their advocates can become critical participants in the CTR

cycle by serving as study participants and/or contributing data from beyond tra-
ditional organizational boundaries, thus enhance the scope and reach of such
investigatory activities.

￿ Finally, communities - at - large can become integral members of the “ research

fabric ” through participatory and other information gathering methods, thus
ensuring that CTR project are targeted upon topics of interest to such groups of
constituents.