Dear Members of the Baylor College of Medicine Community,
Since our founding, Baylor College of Medicine has demonstrated a capacity for change and transformation: moving to Houston from Dallas, forging new partnerships that advanced our patient care, continuing a commitment to scientific innovation and expanding our education endeavors. We are again on the cusp of transformation as we develop our institution into a learning health system to enable us to meet our mission and vision.
In a learning health system, data and analytics gained through clinical and basic research are put into practice to advance healthcare delivery and improve population health, while also incorporating the foundations of the system into the education of next-generation clinicians and scientists.
What is the LHS
Baylor's Learning Health System (LHS) represents a transformative approach to bridging the gap between medical research and patient care by leveraging data for continuous healthcare improvement.
Led by Dr. Hashem El-Serag, Chair of the Department of Medicine and Vice President of the Learning Health System, the LHS aims to improve health outcomes, enhance care quality and safety, achieve health equity, and elevate patient experiences. Central to this initiative is the focus on genomic medicine, where genetics, phenomics, and data science converge to drive personalized treatments and diagnostics.
Baylor is fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation among its faculty and students, laying the foundation for the successful integration of LHS into clinical practice.
The LHS Process
The Learning Health System operates through cycles of Discovery Science and Implementation Science.
- Cycle Components:
- Discovery Science leads to Data, then Information, and finally Knowledge.
- Knowledge informs Implementation Science.
- Implementation Science leads to Practice, which then generates Data.
- Support for the Cycle: The entire cycle is supported by:
- Analytics/Informatics
- A Trained Workforce
- Systems
Objectives
For human health:
- Improve health outcomes for patients and populations through evidence-based precision medicine and population health.
- Enhance quality and safety of healthcare by mitigating risks and improving processes of care.
- Achieve health-equity by reducing disparities.
- Improve patient experience by providing personalized healthcare experiences.
For Baylor College of Medicine:
- Advance research by generating novel knowledge from integrated multisource data on patients in clinical practice.
- Provide innovative educational and training experiences by offering these for learners at all levels.
- Enable patient-facing healthcare professionals by facilitating engagement in quality improvement, research and education.
- Create a fulfilling workplace by fostering a culture of learning and innovation for all employees.
BCM's Rapid LHS
Baylor College of Medicine's Rapid Learning Health System creates a virtuous cycle using data from clinical interactions, research discoveries and community feedback to generate novel information that promotes innovative personalized healthcare.
Key components:
- Informatics & Analytics:
- Integrates data from multiple sources, including EHRs, genomics, wearables, providers and patients.
- Generates Knowledge:
- Produces novel, practice-based knowledge through discovery and implementation sciences.
- Learning and Innovation:
- Fosters a culture of learning and innovation for physicians, researchers, educators, trainees, staff, students, patients and the community.
- Personalized Healthcare:
- Delivers evidence-based precision medicine and population health.
Transformative Approach:
- Every patient encounter serves as an opportunity for learning and knowledge generation.
- Emphasizes an environment of continuous improvement and scholarship.