The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) yesterday announced a joint Program Announcement (PA) encouraging research that addresses a critical priority for the quality of U.S. health care: the translation of research findings into improved quality, patient safety, and health care outcomes.

The challenge of translating evidence-based practices into measurable improvements in care has been clearly described by the Institute of Medicine and other health care leaders. Research supported under this announcement will build on work currently underway to provide essential information to health care decision makers regarding implementation of evidence-based improvements in care. The PA that describes this priority is titled "Translating Research into Practice—Joint Program Announcement," published in the February 22 NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. Click here to see the Program Announcement.

Because the challenge of translating research into practice confronts all health care organizations, this PA is an unprecedented collaboration between AHRQ and the VA to encourage evaluation of improvement strategies that can be broadly replicated.