title: Comparative effectiveness.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To familiarize the clinician with the concept of comparative effectiveness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recent data support the concept that utility analysis is the quality-of-life instrument best able to perform comparative effectiveness analyses. The use of time tradeoff utilities for comparative effectiveness analyses in interventions across diverse specialties of medicine can be undertaken with both excellent reliability and superior construct validity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Physicians should familiarize themselves with quality-of-life instruments that can be used to assess the comparative effectiveness of healthcare interventions. Rather than delegating comparative effectiveness to others, physicians must become involved in creating and implementing comparative effectiveness standards. Physician involvement is crucial for the best interests of patients, as physicians most intimately understand the complexities and nuances associated with healthcare interventions.
authors.affiliation: Center for Value-Based Medicine, Flourtown, PA 19031, USA. gbrown@valuebasedmedicine.com
authors.forename: Gary C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Melissa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years