ISPOR task force publishes new expert consensus recommendations on patient-preference studies

The ISPOR Good Practices Report, published in Value in Health, provides guidance to stakeholders for increasing the value and impact of patient-preference studies in decision making

ISPOR – The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research – has announced the latest Good Practices Report from their Task Force looking at the use of patient preferences to inform decision making. The report, entitled “A Roadmap for Increasing the Usefulness and Impact of Patient-Preference Studies in Decision Making in Health: A Good Practices Report of an ISPOR Task Force” was published in the February 2023 issue of Value in Health. The ISPOR Task Force who produced this report is led by Deborah Marshall of University of Calgary and John Bridges of Ohio State University Columbus, who is also the lead author of the publication.

Patient-preference studies are increasingly being utilized within drug development to bring the patient voice into the process and foster patient centricity and shared decision making within healthcare. The report builds on previous guidance documents from ISPOR on the topic and provides advice on the design, conduct, and dissemination of patient-preference studies in decision making. As noted by the authors, the Roadmap is ‘methods-agnostic’ and should be followed by researchers carrying out patient-preference studies irrespective of the preference method being used.

Within the report, the authors describe five important areas where patient-preference researchers should work with a range of stakeholders, including decision makers, patients, and patient groups. Although presented linearly, the authors explain these areas should be considered broadly to increase the likelihood of influencing decision making and to help identify the ongoing impact (both intended and unintended) of preference studies.

These five key elements include:

1. Context – Asking the who, what, where, why, and when in decision making to understand how decisions are really made and how a preference study can be more useful and impactful.
2. Purpose – Clarifying how the information generated from a preference study may be used in decision making.
3. Population – Identifying and engaging the affected population in the preference study.
4. Method – Explaining the choice of methods used.
5. Impact – Promoting and measuring the impact of a preference study on decision making.

The report also presents a set of key questions to be followed when considering these five areas that can help researchers ensure that patient-preference studies are conducted in a way that maximizes their impact and promotes further advancements in this important area of research.

As the authors explain, “This Roadmap encourages researchers to consider the context in which decisions are made and the purpose of the study, identify who will be affected explicitly, and justify the selection of the method that is the best fit. Finally, it is important to work with decision makers to identify and measure the intended and unintended impacts of the preference study, disseminate the work, and foster implementation in real-world contexts to ensure that patient-preference research is useful and relevant to decision making and subsequent outcomes.