Synopsis
With growing emphasis on value in health care, there is a need to assess the effects of MRI use on patient health outcomes. The value, or the health outcomes relative to the cost, can be
studied using established comparative effectiveness research and outcomes
assessment methods. The synthesis of clinical context with test use also allows for analyses of personalized decision making based
on test information. The major methods described will include decision analysis, cost
effectiveness, and study of intermediate outcomes. These methods can allow for quantification of population level health benefits, comparison with other tests or interventions, and identification of research priorities based on predicted impact.
Target Audience
Clinical radiologists, MRI researchers, traineesOutcome/Objective
Understand
the major methods used to study the value of MRI, including comparative effectiveness and outcomes research.Purpose
1)
To describe the importance of studying the value of MRI as it relates to population-level
health outcomes; 2) To provide an overview of major measures and methods for
describing the value of MRI.Description
MRI
evolves rapidly and even widespread techniques often have limited assessment of
population-level impact. With growing emphasis on health care value, diagnostic
imaging utilization and cost are increasingly subject to scrutiny. In order for
new MRI techniques to be widely adopted in favor of an existing test, decision
makers assess the impact of MRI techniques and existing alternatives on health
outcomes. The value, or the health outcomes relative to the cost, can be studied using established comparative effectiveness research and outcomes
assessment methods. Furthermore, because patients' clinical circumstances directly affect outcomes, the same methods can evaluate personalized decision making based on test information. Whether to justify increased cost for better treatment outcomes
or to quantify the benefit for a unique patient sub-population, these research
methods summarize the ability of a diagnostic test to improve patient care. The
major methods described will include decision analysis, cost effectiveness, and
study of intermediate outcomes. For MRI techniques, studies of value can apply reliability, accuracy, accessibility and other key features of diagnostic tests to projections of downstream events, survival, and quality of life.Conclusion
To study value, comparative effectiveness and outcomes research methods link MRI use to the quality of clinical decisions and ultimately, patient health outcomes. These methods can provide generalized or specialized outcomes data that are useful to patients, health care providers, policy makers, and researchers.
Acknowledgements
No acknowledgement found.References
1. Hunink, M., Weinstein, M., Wittenberg, E., Drummond, M., Pliskin, J., Wong, J., & Glasziou, P. (2014). Decision Making in Health and Medicine: Integrating Evidence and Values. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
2. Groot Koerkamp B, Weinstein MC, Stijnen T, Heijenbrok-Kal MH, Hunink MG. Uncertainty and patient heterogeneity in medical decision models. Med Decis Making. 2010 Mar-Apr;30(2):194-205.