Table 1.

Characteristics of a Continuously Learning Health Care System

Science and Informatics

• Real‐time access to knowledge – A learning health care system continuously and reliably captures, curates, and delivers the best available evidence to guide, support, tailor, and improve clinical decision making and care safety and quality.

• Digital capture of the care experience – A learning health care system captures the care experience on digital platforms for real‐time generation and application of knowledge for care improvement.

Patient‐Clinician Relationships

• Engaged, empowered patients – A learning health care system is anchored on patient needs and perspectives and promotes the inclusion of patients, families, and other caregivers as vital members of the continuously learning care team.

Incentives

• Incentives aligned for value – In a learning health care system, incentives are actively aligned to encourage continuous improvement, identify and reduce waste, and reward high‐value care.

• Full transparency – A learning health care system systematically monitors the safety, quality, processes, prices, costs, and outcomes of care, and makes information available for care improvement and informed choices and decision making by clinicians, patients, and their families.

Culture

• Leadership‐instilled culture of learning – A learning health care system is stewarded by leadership committed to a culture of teamwork, collaboration, and adaptability in support of continuous learning as a core aim.

• Supportive system competencies – In a learning health care system, complex care operations and processes are constantly refined through ongoing team training and skill building, systems analysis and information development, and creation of the feedback loops for continuous learning and system improvement.

Adapted from IOM, 2012 22