A.S. Pickard

Prioritizing Comparative‐Effectiveness Research Topics via Stakeholder Involvement: An Application in COPD

A major priority for funding agencies and researchers involved in comparative‐effectiveness research (CER) is to ensure that research questions will produce findings that are relevant and feasible to implement. In this article, we describe a process for involving experts and stakeholders in identifying and prioritizing CER studies, as illustrated by our experience in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Using linked electronic data to validate algorithms for health outcomes in administrative databases.

The validity of algorithms used to identify health outcomes in claims-based and administrative data is critical to the reliability of findings from observational studies. The traditional approach to algorithm validation, using medical charts, is expensive and time-consuming. An alternative method is to link the claims data to an external, electronic data source that contains information allowing confirmation of the event of interest. In this paper, we describe this external linkage validation method and delineate important considerations to assess the feasibility and appropriateness of validating health outcomes using this approach. This framework can help investigators decide whether to pursue an external linkage validation method for identifying health outcomes in administrative/claims data.

Inhaled Anticholinergics and Risk for Acute Urinary Retention: A Case-Crossover and Case-Time-Control Study

1Pharmerit International, Bethesda, MD, USA; 2Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomic Research, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; 3Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep, and Allergy, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; 4Center of Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand.