Emerging healthcare interventions: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute's programmatic initiative

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Health Technology Assessment
• Comparative Effectiveness Research

Background:

• The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) funds research on patient-centered outcomes.
• Evaluating emerging healthcare innovations is a key priority for PCORI.
• The Emerging Technologies and Therapeutics Reports program provides evidence overviews on new healthcare technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of PCORI's Emerging Technologies and Therapeutics Reports.
• To share lessons learned from completed and ongoing reports.
• To compare PCORI's program with international Health Technology Assessments (HTAs) for potential enhancements.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature searches and study selection.
• Transparent reporting of evidence, informed by key informants (stakeholders).
• Analysis of contextual factors influencing technology diffusion.
• Comparative analysis of methodologies from national and international HTA agencies.

Main Results:

• PCORI reports integrate systematic evidence reviews with stakeholder insights and contextual factors.
• Significant variation exists among international HTAs regarding funding, scope, manufacturer involvement, and stakeholder engagement.
• Lessons learned emphasize the importance of transparency and stakeholder input in evaluating emerging technologies.

Conclusions:

• PCORI's program effectively synthesizes evidence on emerging technologies, considering crucial contextual factors.
• Future reports may benefit from rapid assessment approaches to expedite evidence development.
• Further research can explore the impact of contextual factors on evidence generation for targeted interventions.