Novel method to select meaningful outcomes for evaluation in clinical trials

A standardised framework for selecting outcomes for evaluation in trials has been proposed by the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials working group. However, this method does not specify how to ensure that the outcomes that are selected are causally related to the disease and the health intervention being studied. Causal network diagrams may help researchers identify outcomes that are both clinically meaningful and likely to be causally dependent on the intervention, and endpoints that are, in turn, causally dependent on those outcomes.

Citation:
McLeod C, Norman R, Wood J, Mulrennan S, Morey S, Schultz A, Messer M, …….. Blyth CC, et al. Novel method to select meaningful outcomes for evaluation in clinical trials. BMJ Open Respir Res. 2021;8(1).

Keywords:
Cystic fibrosis; paediatric lung disease; rare lung diseases; respiratory infection

Abstract:
A standardised framework for selecting outcomes for evaluation in trials has been proposed by the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials working group. However, this method does not specify how to ensure that the outcomes that are selected are causally related to the disease and the health intervention being studied. Causal network diagrams may help researchers identify outcomes that are both clinically meaningful and likely to be causally dependent on the intervention, and endpoints that are, in turn, causally dependent on those outcomes.