Outcomes research in podiatric medicine

Outcomes research has become a high priority for the podiatric medical profession, according to the results of a recent survey of members of the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA). The methods of population-based studies using claims data, health-related quality-of-life measures, decision and cost-effectiveness analysis, and quality improvement are discussed and their contributions to the podiatric medical profession highlighted. The integration of this methodology into the podiatric medical literature has been sparse. Future work needs to address the training of future researchers in these methods, the establishment of collaborative arrangements, and the development of uniform clinical and health-related quality-of-life measures.