Establishing a Healthcare Research Network in Vietnam: A Platform for Collaborative Quality Improvement

Abstract

There is both a demand and need for delivering patient centered care in health systems. This is especially challenging in developing countries in which resources are limited, population health burdens are extensive, and coordination between facilities is fractured. The development of a low cost, centralized, real time data collection platform would be a powerful tool in understanding patient centered healthcare needs and issues. We report a pilot project that seeks to establish such a healthcare research network in Vietnam. This pilot used a web-based database collection tool called REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture). We programmed a validated general health quality of life questionnaire in both English and Vietnamese that was used to collect patient responses. A total of four hospitals located in Hanoi, Vietnam participated in the pilot project of patients presenting with otolaryngology-head and neck complaints and concerns between January 23 and January 26, 2018. We report outpatient responses and their associated quality of life in ten specific domains. This pilot demonstrates the successful international collaboration among academic, non-profit, clinical entities in establishing this low-cost research network. This will be a platform that could easily be expanded to include other healthcare facilities in conducting quality improvement and research projects. We envision this approach as an important tool in improving health care quality in developing countries throughout the world.