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How to Evaluate and Interpret Outcome Studies
Author(s) -
Sanchez Lisa A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
pharmacotherapy: the journal of human pharmacology and drug therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.227
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1875-9114
pISSN - 0277-0008
DOI - 10.1592/phco.20.16.282s.35017
Subject(s) - formulary , comparability , credibility , risk analysis (engineering) , quality (philosophy) , psychological intervention , guideline , computer science , management science , actuarial science , medicine , business , economics , family medicine , nursing , philosophy , mathematics , epistemology , combinatorics , pathology , political science , law
The pharmacoeconomic literature is a vast and powerful source of information for pharmacists and others who must make decisions about services and products. Published studies can provide data quickly and inexpensively, but they may not necessarily meet criteria for quality and may not be generalizable to a specific situation. Guidelines are available that are intended to standardize study methods, minimize potential bias, and increase the comparability and credibility of data. Before relying on a published study, decision‐makers should ensure that it meets criteria related to objective, perspective, pharmacoeconomic method, design, interventions, costs, outcomes, discounting, results, sensitivity analysis, extrapolation from conclusions, and sponsorship. A sound study can be used to support decisions in such diverse areas as individual patient treatment, formulary management, drug‐use guideline development, disease management initiatives, and pharmaceutical service evaluation. A decision‐maker may be able to use the results by applying them at face value, employing a sensitivity analysis, performing a meta‐analysis, incorporating the data into a pharmacoeconomic model, or reproducing the study on a smaller scale. The selection of an application strategy should be based on the potential impact of the decision on the quality and cost of care, with more rigorous and complex strategies reserved for more extreme impacts. Published pharmacoeconomic data can help pharmacists make better and more informed decisions about pharmaceutical services and products.