Patient preferences, consensus & standardised procedure
Despite growing interest, the use of patient preferences in decision-making is hindered by a lack of standardization. An article recently published in Patient captures stakeholder perspectives on patient preferences in decision-making.
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Many stakeholders are involved in the medical product life cycle. From payers, regulators, industry representatives, academics, and physicians to patient representatives, patients and their caregivers. They share a growing interest in patient preferences. Still there are obstacles for their application in the medical product life cycle that needs addressing, say the authors of Patient Preferences in the Medical Product Life Cycle: What do Stakeholders Think? Semi-Structured Qualitative Interviews in Europe and the USA.
Rosanne Janssens, one of the authors, says stakeholders doubt the feasibility of aligning patient preference studies with current drug development and decision-making processes. Some stakeholders consider patient preferences inferior to other decision criteria. They worry patient preferences could be used to override decisions made on technical grounds.
Patients’ lack of technical knowledge is another issue raised. Patients participating in preference studies need to be informed enough to contribute to decision-making such as benefit-risk trade-offs. There is also the issue of influence, voluntary or external, that could skew results of patient preference studies.
Stakeholders’ main concern for the adaptation of patient preference studies is the absence of practical framework. The authors stress the importance of consensus and standardization between stakeholders to fully make use of patient preferences. Without them, it is difficult to measure and use patient preferences in decision-making.
By Anna Holm
Janssens, R., Russo, S., van Overbeeke, E. et al. Patient Preferences in the Medical Product Life Cycle: What do Stakeholders Think? Semi-Structured Qualitative Interviews in Europe and the USA, Patient (2019).
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