Principles for the Conduct of Comparative Effectiveness Research

Several researchers and stakeholders are developing a set of principles about what constitutes good comparative effectiveness research (CER) principles for oncology, according to an article in today’s Pink Sheet (Comparative Effectiveness Researchers See Need For Unique Set Of Principles For Oncology, June 18, 2012). The CER principles for oncology build on a current collaborative effort to ensure more consistency in the design, conduct, analysis and reporting of CER.

Part of ensuring that CER captures real world evidence depends on how the study design is structured and what methods are followed. While principles exist for the conduct of health technology assessments and evidence-based medicine, there are no generally accepted principles for the conduct of CER, and the methods are highly variable.

In an interview at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research 17th Annual Meeting, Dr. Peter Neumann outlines 13 concepts that could be applied to improve CER. These concepts include setting explicit and meaningful objectives, actively engaging stakeholders, evaluating and incorporating methods for assessing clinical outcomes, considering the generalizability and transferability of study findings across patients, and including a plan for the communication and dissemination of the information.

Watch the video:

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 The broader, collaborative CER effort is being conducted by:

• Dr. Bryan Luce, Senior Vice President, Science Policy, United BioSource Corporation
• Dr. Michael Drummond, Professor of Health Economics, University of York, United Kingdom
• Dr. Robert Dubois Chief Science Officer, National Pharmaceutical Council
• Dr. Peter Neumann, Professor and Director, Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health at the Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies, Tufts Medical Center
• Dr. Bengt Jönsson, Professor Emeritus, Department of Economics, Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden
• Dr. Uwe Siebert, Professor of Public Health, University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology in Hall i.T., Austria; Head, Area Health Technology Assessment, Oncotyrol – Center for Personalized Cancer Medicine in Innsbruck, Austria; and Adjunct Professor of Health Policy and Management, Harvard University
• Dr. J. Sanford Schwartz, Leon Hess Professor of Medicine and Health Management & Economics, School of Medicine, Wharton School and Senior Fellow Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania