About CERTs
Annual Report Year 3
AHRQ Letter | Steering Committee Letter | Introduction | CERTs Progress | Putting Our Heads Together | The CERTs Organization | Peer-Reviewed Publications | Partners
Letter from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Dear Colleague:
The Centers for Education & Research on Therapeutics (CERTs) program was established in 1999 under the sponsorship of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The CERTs is a national program whose goal is to improve the effectiveness and safety of the use of therapeutics by conducting research and educational programs that examine the benefits and risks of new, existing, or combined uses of therapeutics. A key activity is to develop collaborative relationships with other organizations, both public and private, to further the goals of the program.
This report documents progress in the third year of the program and beyond, and clearly shows the advances being made. With over 130 projects underway in the seven research centers, many being done through partnerships, the CERTs are adding to our knowledge base on how therapeutics work and can work more safely. In the first two years, the CERTs have clearly identified the questions that drive the research, and initiated or completed work on an impressive number of projects. Each of these furthers our understanding of therapeutics.
In a major collaborative effort between public and private organizations interested in pharmaceuticals, the CERTs kicked off a series of workshops designed to inform the process and outcomes associated with risk communication, assessment, and management. This key program from Year 2, the Risk Series, was continued and expanded in Year 3.
In addition, the third year heralds the development of a number of tools that can be used to educate clinicians and researchers, particularly in the area of reducing adverse events caused by medication errors or drug interactions. Research is especially focused on those errors that most affect women and children, as well as tools to help advance the optimal use of cardiovascular drugs and other pharmaceuticals.
We are very pleased to provide you with this report on the work of the CERTs. As they continue to work to build partnerships and to develop new and innovative ways to disseminate and educate, we hope that the CERTs can look forward to another year of landmark accomplishments.
—Carolyn M. Clancy, MD
Director, AHRQ