Understanding the effect of health technologies on hospital outcomes: The reinforcing role of clinical research

Objective: Health technology (HT) has a profound impact on improving patients' outcomes; however, it is also a major factor in rising healthcare costs. Therefore, it is important to identify relevant factors that increase the returns of HT in terms of hospital outcomes. We suggest that clinicians' research activity is positively associated with healthcare outcomes and also reinforces the positive association between HT and healthcare performance. Methods: We estimated the association between HT and clinicians’ research on hospital performance (readmissions and mortality rates) using a panel data set of 175 Spanish hospitals with 1175 observations from 2001 to 2009, the latest period for which detailed information is available. Results: Our analysis revealed a significant association between clinicians’ research and hospitals' outcomes, as well as between HT, when this latter variable is high, and hospitals’ outcomes. We also found evidence of the positive enhancing role of research on HT in improving clinical outcomes. Conclusions: Hospitals’ managers and policymakers should encourage research engagement in hospitals to enhance the efficiency of hospitals as well as the healthcare system. Additionally, hospitals’ managers may use incentives to motivate clinicians to become more engaged in research activities. Public Interest Abstract: This paper shows the double positive role of clinicians' research activity on hospital performance. First, such research is consistent with reductions in readmissions and mortality. Second, clinicians' research reinforces health technology (HT) to improve hospital performance. This is important because HT is only positively correlated with hospital performance when the use of HT is sufficiently high. We prove our contentions using a database of 175 Spanish hospitals with 1175 observations from 2001 to 2009. As a takeaway from this paper, we can argue for the importance of encouraging research in hospitals to enhance their efficiency, particularly when combined with intensive HT use.