Development of a core outcome set for clinical trials in non-infectious uveitis of the posterior segment

COSUMO Working Group

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Abstract

Purpose: To develop an agreed upon set of outcomes known as a “core outcome set” (COS) for noninfectious uveitis of the posterior segment (NIU-PS) clinical trials.

Design: Mixed-methods study design comprising a systematic review and qualitative study followed by a 2-round Delphi exercise and face-to-face consensus meeting.

Participants: Key stakeholders including patients diagnosed with NIU-PS, their caregivers, and healthcare professionals involved in decision-making for patients with NIU-PS, including ophthalmologists, nurse practitioners, and policymakers/commissioners.

Methods: A long list of outcomes was developed based on the results of (1) a systematic review of clinical trials of NIU-PS and (2) a qualitative study of key stakeholders including focus groups and interviews. The long list was used to generate a 2-round Delphi exercise of stakeholders rating the importance of outcomes on a 9-point Likert scale. The proportion of respondents rating each item was calculated, leading to recommendations of “include,” “exclude,” or “for discussion” that were taken to a face-to-face consensus meeting of key stakeholders at which they agreed on the final COS.

Main Outcome Measure: Items recommended for inclusion in the COS for NIU-PS.

Results: A total of 57 outcomes grouped in 11 outcome domains were presented for evaluation in the Delphi exercise, resulting in 9 outcomes directly qualifying for inclusion and 15 outcomes being carried forward to the consensus meeting, of which 7 of 15 were agreed on for inclusion. The final COS contained 16 outcomes organized into 4 outcome domains comprising visual function, health-related quality of life, treatment side effects, and disease control.

Conclusions: This study builds on international work across the clinical trials community and our qualitative research to construct the world's first COS for NIU-PS. The COS provides a list of outcomes that represent the priorities of key stakeholders and provides a minimum set of outcomes for use in all future NIU-PS clinical trials. Adoption of this COS can improve the value of future uveitis clinical trials and reduce noninformative research. Some of the outcomes identified do not yet have internationally agreed upon methods for measurement and should be the subject of future international consensus development.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1209-1221
Number of pages13
JournalOphthalmology
Volume128
Issue number8
Early online date28 Jan 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This article represents an independent research project funded by the NIHR under the Program Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship Scheme at the University of Birmingham (CDRF-2014-05-057). The views and opinions expressed by authors in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, or the Department of Health.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 American Academy of Ophthalmology

Keywords

  • Clinical trials
  • Consensus method
  • Core outcome set
  • Delphi technique/exercise
  • Domain
  • Key stakeholders
  • Macular edema
  • Outcomes
  • Uveitis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ophthalmology

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