What is the primary role of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)?

The primary role of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is to produce evidence to make healthcare safer, higher quality, more accessible, and more equitable. AHRQ focuses on generating research and data that can improve patient care and outcomes across the healthcare system. This encompasses various activities such as conducting studies, developing clinical practice guidelines, and promoting health services research which informs policymakers, healthcare providers, and patients.

The mission of AHRQ is fundamentally about enhancing the quality and effectiveness of healthcare. This is achieved through rigorous research that explores healthcare delivery, patient safety, and disparities in health outcomes. Therefore, the agency plays a central role in developing strategies and tools that can lead to improvements in healthcare practices and policies.

Other choices focus on narrower aspects or functions. For example, funding is not limited to only large healthcare systems and does not encapsulate the broader purpose of enhancing healthcare quality and safety. While AHRQ may support some clinical trials, the agency does not conduct them as its primary focus; that role is more typical of other entities such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Enforcement of regulations on medical equipment falls under the jurisdiction of different organizations, primarily the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is responsible for ensuring