A core outcome set (COS) is an agreed standardised set of outcomes that should be measured and reported, as a minimum, in all clinical trials in a specific condition. This allows research to be compared and combined as appropriate and ensures that all studies provide usable information. Many organisations, including the World Health Organisation and funders such as NIHR, actively endorse the use of COS.
For systematic review authors, COS can help inform outcome selection, improve consistency across reviews, support interpretation of outcome reporting in primary studies, and highlight gaps where important outcomes have not been measured.
In this web clinic, Dr Sarah Gorst will explain why COS are relevant to systematic reviews, where authors can find existing COS, and how to decide whether and how to use them in a review. The session will cover key benefits of using COS, common issues to look out for when applying them, and take-home messages from research on COS uptake and implementation.
Presenter bio
Dr Sarah Gorst is a clinical trials methodologist with over a decade of expertise in outcomes research. Sarah is based at the University of Liverpool, where she leads the Outcomes & Psychometrics research group. Her work focuses on improving the selection, measurement and reporting of outcomes in health research, with particular expertise in core outcome set development, outcome measurement, evidence synthesis, and patient and public involvement. Sarah also co-ordinates the global COMET (Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials) Initiative, which aims to improve the quality and relevance of health research by improving the outcomes measured.
