How Do We Agree On What “Good” Patient Studies Look Like?
By: Allison Hydzik
It seems intuitive: Want to do a good study to improve patient care? Then use real-world evidence to find out what works and what doesn’t – and how to fix it. But without common standards for conducting such studies it can be difficult to gather the support needed to make research-based changes.
Sally Morton, Ph.D., professor and chair of biostatistics at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and director of the Comparative Effectiveness Research Center in Pitt’s Health Policy Institute, and colleagues recently completed a review and laid out standards and guidelines for conducting these types of “observational” studies in The Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.
This infographic by the National Pharmaceutical Council breaks down the guidelines to help get patients, researchers, funders and health care providers all on the same page.
Want more? Dr. Morton discusses her work in this video.
