Systematic review of guidance for the collection and use of patient-reported outcomes in real-world evidence generation to support regulation, reimbursement and health policy

Konrad Maruszczyk; Olalekan Lee Aiyegbusi; Barbara Torlinska; Philip Collis; Thomas Keeley; Melanie J Calvert

doi:10.1186/s41687-022-00466-7

Systematic review of guidance for the collection and use of patient-reported outcomes in real-world evidence generation to support regulation, reimbursement and health policy

J Patient Rep Outcomes. 2022 Jun 2;6(1):57. doi: 10.1186/s41687-022-00466-7.

Authors

Konrad Maruszczyk^{1

2}, Olalekan Lee Aiyegbusi^{1

2

3

4

5}, Barbara Torlinska^{1

2

3}, Philip Collis^{1

5}, Thomas Keeley^{1

6}, Melanie J Calvert^{7

8

9

10

11}

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Patient Reported Outcome Research, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
² Birmingham Health Partners Centre for Regulatory Science and Innovation, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
³ National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
⁴ NIHR Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Centre, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
⁵ NIHR Applied Research Collaborative West Midlands, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
⁶ GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Patient Centered Outcome, Value Evidence and Outcomes, Brentford, UK.
⁷ Centre for Patient Reported Outcome Research, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. m.calvert@bham.ac.uk.
⁸ Birmingham Health Partners Centre for Regulatory Science and Innovation, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. m.calvert@bham.ac.uk.
⁹ National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. m.calvert@bham.ac.uk.
¹⁰ NIHR Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Centre, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. m.calvert@bham.ac.uk.
¹¹ NIHR Applied Research Collaborative West Midlands, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. m.calvert@bham.ac.uk.

Abstract

Background: Real-world evidence (RWE) plays an increasingly important role within global regulatory and reimbursement processes. RWE generation can be enhanced by the collection and use of patient-reported outcomes (PROs), which can provide valuable information on the effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of health interventions from the patient perspective. This systematic review aims to examine and summarise the available PRO-specific recommendations and guidance for RWE generation.

Methods and findings: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Excerpta Medica Database, and websites of selected organisations were systematically searched to identify relevant publications. 1,249 articles were screened of which 7 papers met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. The included publications provided PRO-specific recommendations to facilitate the use of PROs for RWE generation and these were extracted and grouped into eight major categories. These included: (1) instrument selection, (2) participation and engagement, (3) burden to health care professionals and patients, (4) stakeholder collaboration, (5) education and training, (6) PRO implementation process, (7) data collection and management, and (8) data analysis and presentation of results. The main limitation of the study was the potential exclusion of relevant publications, due to poor indexing of the databases and websites searched.

Conclusions: PROs may provide valuable and crucial patient input in RWE generation. Whilst valuable insights can be gained from guidance for use of PROs in clinical care, there is a lack of international guidance specific to RWE generation in the context of use for regulatory decision-making, reimbursement, and health policy. Clear and appropriate evidence-based guidance is required to maximise the potential benefits of implementing PROs for RWE generation. Unique aspects between PRO guidance for clinical care and other purposes should be differentiated. The needs of various stakeholder groups (including patients, health care professionals, regulators, payers, and industry) should be considered when developing future guidelines.

Keywords: Guidelines; PRO; Patient-reported outcomes; RWE; Real-world evidence; Recommendations.

Publication types

Review