Opportunities for OT in Comparative Effectiveness Research
Opportunities for OT in Comparative Effectiveness Research
by Susan H. Lin
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently released its report on the national priorities for comparative effectiveness research (CER), identifying 100 priority health questions.
CER is the “generation and synthesis of evidence that compares the benefits and harms of alternative methods to prevent, diagnose, treat, and monitor a clinical condition or to improve the delivery of care” (Institute of Medicine, 2009).¹ CER can be used by consumers and professionals to make informed health care decisions.
Many of the priority topics are relevant to occupational therapy, such as:
- Comparing the effectiveness and costs of alternative detection and management strategies (e.g., pharmacologic treatment, social/family support, combined pharmacologic and social/family support) for dementia in community-dwelling individuals and their caregivers.
- Comparing the effectiveness of various primary care treatment strategies (e.g., symptom management, cognitive behavior therapy, biofeedback, social skills, educator/teacher training, parent training, pharmacologic treatment) for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.
- Comparing the effectiveness of primary prevention methods, such as exercise and balance training, versus clinical treatments in preventing falls in older adults at varying degrees of risk.
- Comparing the effectiveness of therapeutic strategies (e.g., behavioral or pharmacological interventions, the combination of the two) for different autism spectrum disorders (ASD) at different levels of severity and stages of intervention.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 created a federal coordinating council and allocated $1.1 billion in funding for CER research. The funds will be distributed to three agencies: $400 million to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, $400 million to the National Institutes of Health, and $300 million to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The IOM received suggestions and comments via online submission and public sessions, resulting in 1,268 unique topics. Comments about sustaining the infrastructure for CER were also requested.
AOTA advocated for occupational therapy’s role in CER by attending the public meeting in Washington, DC, and submitting comments in March, April, and June.
Susan Lin is AOTA's director of research.
References
1. Institute of Medicine. (2009). Initial national priorities for comparative effectiveness research. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
