Comparative effectiveness research (CER) is a direct comparison of existing health care interventions to determine which work is best for which patients and which are the greatest benefits and harms.
What is comparative effectiveness research?
Comparative effectiveness studies aim to inform health care decisions by providing evidence about the effectiveness, benefits, and harms of different treatment options. Evidence comes from studies that compare drugs, medical devices, testing, surgery, or the delivery of healthcare.
There are two ways to prove this:
From existing clinical trials, clinical studies, and other studies, researchers have learned about the existing evidence on the benefits and harms of various options in various populations. These are called research reviews because they are systematic reviews of existing evidence.
Researchers conduct research to generate new evidence of the effectiveness or comparative effectiveness of tests, treatments, procedures, or health services.
Comparative effectiveness research requires the development, expansion, and use of various data sources and methods to conduct timely and relevant research, and disseminate the results in the form of rapid use by clinicians, patients, policymakers and health plans, and other payers. Participate in the seven steps of research and ensure the continued development of research infrastructure to maintain and promote these efforts:
- Identify new and emerging clinical interventions.
- Review and synthesize current medical research.
- Identify the gap between existing medical research and clinical practice needs.
- Promote and generate new scientific evidence and analytical tools.
- Train and develop clinical researchers.
- Translate and disseminate research results to different stakeholders.
- Connect with stakeholders through citizen forums.
- Frequently asked questions about comparative effectiveness research
Q: Why is a comparative effectiveness study needed? What problem are you trying to solve?
If you do not have the best information about your treatment options, you may not make an informed decision about the treatment that is best for you.
When you buy a new car, a mobile phone or camera, you have a lot of information about your choices. However, it can be difficult to find clear and reliable information in choosing the right medicine or the best healthcare treatment.
In fact, some treatments may not work for everyone, and some treatments are more effective for some people than others. This research can help you determine the best treatment for you.
Q: What are the actual benefits of comparative effectiveness research?
You should get the best and most objective information to treat your disease or condition. With this research, you and your doctor can work together to make the best treatment options.
For example, people with high blood pressure may have more than a dozen drugs to choose from. People with heart disease may need to choose heart surgery or take medication to open blocked arteries. Reports on these topics and others include the pros and cons of all options so that you and your doctor can make the best treatment decision for you or someone in your family.
Every patient is different-different circumstances, different medical history, different values. These reports will not tell you and your doctor which treatment to choose. Instead, they provide an important tool to help you and your doctor understand the facts about different treatments.
What is CER?
"Comparative effectiveness research" is a new research term in many respects and has been under different labels for decades. At the Harvard School of Public Health, innovations in biostatistics, clinical epidemiology, and decision science have led to important research results on the "most effective" that have a major impact on public health. Many ideas developed in schools are now considered part of CER. Over the years, some other titles have appeared, which also include many of the same methods and concepts, and overlap with CER, including evidence-based medicine, program evaluation, health technology evaluation, and cost-benefit analysis. The creation of the Patient-Centered Outcome Institute (PCORI) established by Congress through the "Patient Protection and Affordable Treatment Act 2010" was catalyzed, and patient-centered outcome research is often used now.
In 2009, the Federal Comparative Efficiency Research Coordinating Council (FCC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) team proposed the definition of comparative effects research that has been widely cited. In addition, the federal government has established the criteria for CER funding based on ARRA, which is the largest single source of funding dedicated to CER. At the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), our broad view of CER includes not only health interventions, but also a community and other public health interventions. In addition, we intend to conduct CER research to provide questions about which health interventions provide the healthiest value in a society with competing priorities.
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