Patient preferences for drug therapy in inflammatory arthritis: protocol for a living systematic review and evidence map to inform clinical practice guidelines

Introduction: The pharmacological management of inflammatory arthritis often requires choices that involve trade-offs between benefits, risks, and other attributes such as administration route, frequency and cost. This living systematic review aims to inform international clinical guidelines on inflammatory arthritis by creating an evidence map of patient preference studies concerning the trade-offs in pharmacological management of inflammatory arthritis.

Methods and analysis: We will include published and peer-reviewed full-text studies in any language that quantitatively assess preferences of patients for the pharmacological management of inflammatory arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis). Studies must use either stated or revealed preference methods to assess preferences and provide a quantitative assessment of relevant characteristics, such as benefits, risks, costs, and process attributes. Articles will identified through Medline and EMBASE database searches from inception using search terms that combine keywords and subject headings for inflammatory arthritis and preference-based methods, and a search in the Health Preference Study and Technology Registry using keywords for the populations of interest. Two independent reviewers will perform abstract and full-text screening. Risk of bias will be assessed using the GRADE risk of bias tool. An evidence map will be generated to summarize included studies and their assessments of each trade-off. The search will be conducted every 6 months with new studies added to the inventory.

Ethics and dissemination: This study does not require ethics approval. Findings from this study will be disseminated widely to relevant stakeholders via conference presentations, journal publications, and will also be made accessible on an Open Access website.