Informing Patient-Centered Care for People with Multiple Chronic Conditions [Methods Study], United States, 2015-2019

Clinical practice guidelines are recommendations for doctors about when and how to treat health problems. Guidelines are often based on research that compares the benefits and harms of different tests or treatments for one health problem. But this research doesn't always consider that people may have other health problems or different preferences. Guideline developers need to know what is important to patients.
In this study, the research team developed a process to inform development of clinical guidelines. The team wanted to learn how the balance of benefits and harms of treatment options changes when it includes patient preferences. In this new process, the team
Defined questions comparing treatment options based on input from patients with three or more long-term health problems
Used data from prior research studies to answer these questions and assess the balance of benefits and harms of treatment options
Used results from a patient survey, looking to see if the balance of benefits and harms could change when patients have different preferences.