Challenge to Child Health Services Research: Report From the Committee on Pediatric Health and Health Care Quality Measures

Abstract

As argued in a previous Institute of Medicine/National Research Council (IOM/NRC) report, maximizing child health is critical to assuring national well-being, now and in the future. However, monitoring the status of the health of children and adolescents and understanding the role of various factors in fostering optimal health have proven difficult. Of particular importance is the influence of the availability, use, and quality of health care services, especially for those with life-threatening conditions or special health care needs. Despite the presence of multiple data sets and measures, the United States currently has no national information system that can provide timely, comprehensive, and valid and reliable indicators of health and health care quality for children and adolescents. Although progress has been made in selected areas, the country lacks a comprehensive strategy to make better use of existing resources and identify the need for new indicators and methods.