International Position Paper on Outcome Selection After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Clinical Research
• Patient Outcomes

Background:

• Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) research lacks consistent and patient-relevant health outcome reporting.
• Current outcome measures do not adequately reflect the priorities of individuals affected by aSAH.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish international consensus on essential health domains for aSAH research.
• To guide clinicians and researchers in selecting appropriate outcome measures for aSAH studies.

Main Methods:

• Utilized international prioritizing surveys with 239 participants from over 25 countries.
• Employed hybrid in-person/online consensus meeting with 69 diverse stakeholders, including patients and experts.
• Established consensus definitions for each health domain through multidisciplinary working groups.

Main Results:

• Achieved consensus (>70% endorsement) on 6 core health domains for aSAH research.
• Defined domains include: health-related quality of life, survival, cognition and executive function, functional outcome, delayed cerebral ischemia/infarction, and rebleeding/aneurysm obliteration.

Conclusions:

• This International Position Statement provides a core domain set to standardize outcome selection in aSAH research.
• The established domains will help shape the future research agenda for evaluating new aSAH treatments.