The Evidence-Based Diagnostics & Treatment Quality research group studies how clinical decisions are made and how they can be improved. We examine the accuracy of diagnostic evaluations, the quality and appropriateness of treatments, and the safety and equity of care delivered across different healthcare settings.
We use large-scale electronic health records (structured and free text) and national registers to analyse diagnostic reasoning, treatment pathways, prescribing quality, and adherence to clinical guidelines. By combining clinical epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology, health-services research, and advanced analytics (including methods based on large language models), we identify care gaps, quantify variation, and develop tools that support more precise and evidence-based decision-making.
The group includes senior researchers, PhD candidates, and medical students with expertise in pediatrics, infectious diseases, allergology, pulmonology, epidemiology, clinical microbiology, health economics, health data science, and information and knowledge management. We work closely with clinicians, data scientists, and policymakers to translate research into practical improvements. The goal is to promote safer, more effective, and more equitable care for children and adults, and to build robust systems for continuous quality improvement in diagnostics and treatment.
Research focus and goals
- Data-Driven Decision Making and Quality Improvement: To enhance healthcare quality and patient outcomes by setting quality benchmarks, identifying care gaps, and implementing strategies using data analytics, health information technology, and evidence-based guidelines.
- Epidemiology and Public Health Research: To examine the distribution and determinants of diseases within populations, as well as access to healthcare, costs of care, and healthcare outcomes. This research informs healthcare policy, improves healthcare delivery, and assesses the impact of healthcare structures on patient care.
- Translational Clinical Research: To study the effectiveness of medical treatments, drugs, and diagnostic methods.
- Patient Safety: To minimize risks and prevent harm to patients during their interactions with healthcare systems. This includes studying and mitigating errors, improving the quality and safety of care environments, and ensuring effective communication among healthcare providers.
- Equity in Healthcare: To address disparities in healthcare access, quality, and outcomes across different population groups, ensuring that high-quality care is available and accessible to all individuals.
Implementation Research: To investigate how to effectively integrate research findings and evidence-based practices into routine healthcare, improving care quality and patient outcomes.
Our research group is part of TamCAM – Tampere Center for Child, Adolescent and Maternal Health Research.
