VARIABLES, VARIABILITY, AND VARIATIONS RESEARCH - IMPLICATIONS FOR MEDICAL INFORMATICS

Variations research is one important strategy in the quality managemen t movement designed to improve the quality of health care and to contr ol costs. Information systems are being utilized in variations researc h to provide an array of potential variables, to provide measures of t he variability inherent in these variables, and to assist with the stu dy of the linkages of patient and provider characteristics with interv entions and outcomes. This article presents a systems model of inputs, processes, and outcomes with explication of factors related to client , provider, and setting as a heuristic strategy for variable specifica tion. The implications of variable specification, the design and measu rement of variability, and the key issue of control in variations rese arch are linked with a discussion of the implications for medical info rmatics.