Observational studies review published

We are pleased to announce that ‘Observational studies assessing the pharmacological treatment of obstructive lung disease: strengths, challenges and considerations for study design’ has been published in ERJ Open Research.¹

This article, authored by members of the NOVELTY Scientific Community, examines the value of observational studies, alongside randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in the field of obstructive lung disease.

Although RCTs are very important for evaluating treatment efficacy in patients with obstructive lung disease, this review highlights that observational studies are also a highly valuable part of the research effort and could be significant in moving towards a more personalised approach to treatment.

The authors discuss the increasing importance of observational studies in broader patient populations, who wouldn’t usually meet the strict inclusion criteria employed in RCTs. While observational studies also present challenges, the authors outline new tools for evaluating the quality of observational studies.

To enhance our understanding of disease mechanisms and treatment, as well as the value of precision medicine, there is a need for extensive, inclusive observational studies with standardised outcome measures. The NOVELTY study aims to address this need.

The full article is available here.

Read a summary of this article and other NOVELTY publications and presentations here.