Editor’s highlights from the Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research – December 2023
In this monthly column, I share some of my highlights from the latest issues of the Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research, partner journal of The Evidence Base.
I’m pleased to share some of my highlights from the December issue of the Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research (JCER), the final issue of 2023, which is now online (Volume 12, Issue 12). This issue includes an Editorial providing further commentary on an article by Yan et al. published in our October issue; our latest market access Industry Update; a White Paper from the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) and the Peterson Health Technology Institute; and two Plain Language Summary of Publication (PLSP) articles.
Implementation of electronic patient-reported outcomes for symptom monitoring during cancer treatment: the importance of getting it right
In their Editorial, Basch et al. (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA) comment on the recent Research Article by Yan et al., “Real-world impact of patient-reported outcome measurement on overall survival, healthcare use and treatment discontinuation in cancer patients”, highlighting the contrast of the findings with prior literature. They applaud the authors for providing insights into how patient-reported outcomes can drive quality care, but also for highlighting some potential pitfalls to avoid.
Access in all areas? A round up of developments in market access and health technology assessment: part 2
In the latest in our new series of Industry Update articles focusing on market access, Ramagopalan et al. (Lane Clark & Peacock, UK) round-up developments over the past few months, focusing particular attention on the Inflation Reduction Act, along with price controls and rigid value assessment in Germany.
Institute for Clinical and Economic Review – Peterson Health Technology Institute value assessment framework for digital health technologies
Digital health technologies (DHTs) pose unique challenges for value assessment, and existing value assessment frameworks and evidence standards for health technologies such as drugs and devices are not directly applicable. This new White Paper from authors at ICER (MA, USA) and the Peterson Health Technology Institute (NY, USA) presents a value assessment framework describing a conceptual model and associated methods to guide assessments of DHTs.
Once-nightly sodium oxybate (FT218) improved symptoms of disrupted nighttime sleep in people with narcolepsy: a plain language summary
Providing a standalone PLSP article of research originally published in CNS Drugs, authors Roth et al. (Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA) look at the REST-ON clinical study, and whether a once-nightly bedtime dose of sodium oxybate was better than placebo at treating symptoms of disrupted nighttime sleep.
Rational use of inhaled corticosteroids for the treatment of COPD: a plain language summary
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive respiratory condition in which inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are only effective in a small proportion of people. In this PLSP, authors Ariel et al. (Emek Medical Center, Israel) summarize a review article originally published in NPJ Primary Care Respiratory Medicine, and investigate the benefits and risks of ICS use in COPD, including via a video abstract.
You can read the full December issue of JCER here, where all the articles are freely available to read. It just remains for me to say thank you to all those who have been involved with JCER this year – our Editorial Board, Authors, Reviewers and Readers all contribute to the continuing high-quality content published in each issue. We look forward to continuing to work with you in 2024. Wishing everyone a great festive season, and a happy and healthy New Year!