In this commentary (part of our longform essay, Applying Social Science in the Real World), Steven Garfinkel contends that fidelity has become a challenging concept, particularly in evaluating health care insurance and delivery system interventions, and discusses how this can be addressed.

Informing practice with the best research and making research more relevant to practice are easier said than done. Making a tangible difference in people’s lives is harder still. In this series of short commentaries, AIR experts reflect on ways to meet the challenge.

The U.S. health care system’s complexity, coupled with the emotional and personal nature of serious illness or injury, often makes it difficult for policymakers to obtain informed public views to help guide decisions on complicated health care issues. This study found that public deliberation, which encourages people to become informed about a topic and consider alternative perspectives, shifted participants' attitudes about the importance of medical evidence in treatment decisions.

This survey was developed to measure family member experiences of nursing home care, the results of which will contribute to the understanding of quality of care in nursing homes. Unlike other CAHPS surveys, the CAHPS nursing home family member survey was developed to solicit information from respondents who do not directly receive care.