Comparative effectiveness research - the conduct and synthesis of systematic research in order to compare the benefits and harms of alternative treatment options - is of critical importance in enabling informed health care decisions to be made. This user-friendly, practical handbook examines in depth how best to perform such comparative effectiveness research. A wide range of topics and methods are discussed, including research synthesis, sampling analysis, assessment of evidence design, systematic evaluation of statistical analysis, and meta-analysis. The discussion extends well beyond the fundamentals by encompassing "complex" systematic reviews, "cumulative" meta-analyses, and logic-based versus utility-based decision making. Health care providers, researchers, instructors, and students will all find this to be an invaluable reference on the compelling current issues and important analytical tools in comparative effectiveness research.

Fundamental Implications for Clinical Practice: Translational Effectiveness in the Context of Translational Science

Comparative Effectiveness Analysis and Evidence-Based Decisions
The Best Available Evidence
Sampling and Assessment of the Evidence
Systematic Evaluation of Statistical Analysis: Data Analysis in Research Synthesis
Optimizing Clinical Practice-Based Patient-Centered Outcomes Research: Getting and Understanding Data
Obtaining Data
Describing and Analyzing Data
Translational Effectiveness Analysis
Optimizing Clinical Outcomes by Individualizing Observations
Evaluation in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Translational Effectiveness in Practice-Based Patient-Centered Outcomes Research.