Core Outcome Sets: reaching consensus on what to measure in research

One size fits all? How to optimize the prescribing of appropriate polypharmacy in chronic diseases, using a behavioral approach – a United Kingdom perspective

“…A review of systematic reviews examining interventions addressing polypharmacy reported that interventions focusing on appropriate prescribing in the context of polypharmacy produced some benefits, but there was no consistent evidence on other outcomes such as healthcare utilisation, morbidity or mortality [11]. It is important to consider the impact of an intervention on outcomes that are important to patients, health care providers and policy makers to ensure that assessed interventions can have the widest possible impact and which will allow for synthesis of similar studies to reinforce the strength of evidence [12].…”

“…The intervention is currently undergoing pilot testing. The two main outcomes being assessed in this study are medication appropriateness, and health-related quality of life [12]. The selection of these outcomes has been informed by a core outcome set (COS) which has been defined as 'an agreed or standardised set of outcomes that should be assessed and reported as a minimum for trial evaluations of similar interventions' [19].…”