Episode 63 – The Role of Outcomes Research on Clinical Decisions for Patient Care with Dr Mari Kitahata (December 16, 2025)

Episode 63– The Role of Outcomes Research on Clinical Decisions for Patient Care with Dr Mari Kitahata (December 16, 2025)

In episode 63 of Going anti-Viral, Dr Mari Kitahata joins host Dr Michael Saag to discuss the role of outcomes research on clinical decisions for patient care. Dr Kitahata is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington (UW) in the Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. For more than 3 decades, she has directed the UW/Fred Hutch Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Clinical Research Core. Dr Kitahata’s research focuses on improving long-term outcomes for people with HIV and she has led studies demonstrating key determinants of increased survival in people with HIV, including early initiation of antiretroviral therapy and care managed by physicians with greater HIV experience. Dr Kitahata discusses the significance of outcomes research in clinical settings, particularly in the context of HIV care. She explains the differences between efficacy and effectiveness, the challenges faced in observational studies, and the importance of statistical techniques to address biases. Dr Kitahata and Dr Saag discuss the role of electronic medical records (EMRs) in enhancing data collection and the necessity of data validation through adjudication processes. Additionally, the conversation touches on the importance of patient-reported outcomes and the limitations of EMR data, including issues of misclassification. Finally, Dr Saag and Dr Kitahata discuss the distinction between predictive modeling and etiologic modeling in research, underscoring the complexities of clinical care and the future directions for outcomes research.