Robert M. Kaplan, PhD, chief science officer, Agency for Healthcare Research

Most illnesses today are measured in terms of their effects on daily activities, but who do not always consider the outcomes based on the patient's perspectives. Many clinical studies instead apply standardized measures that identify quality of life as an important outcome. Advancing research methodologies, including new approaches to clinical research, should inform this discussion by centering medical decision making on the preferences of the most important stakeholder-the patient.