Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research 
Helping Make Informed Health Decisions

Outcomes research creates evidence about benefits, risks, and results of treatments. According to the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), the purpose of outcomes research is to assist patients, clinicians, purchasers and policy makers in making informed health decisions by producing quality and relevant evidence.

There are three different types of outcomes research related to pharmaceuticals: economic outcomes (this is commonly known as pharmacoeconomics), clinical (comparative clinical effectiveness research) or humanistic (health-related quality of life). Pharmacoeconomics examines and compares the costs and benefits of various pharmaceutical interventions. Comparative clinical effectiveness research evaluates and compares health outcomes and clinical effectiveness, risks and benefits of two or more medical treatments, services or items. Health-related quality of life research is focused on assessing the impact that an individual’s health—including chronic illness and disabilities—may have on that person’s quality of life.

Pharmacists participate in health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) in many ways. HEOR jobs for pharmacists includes work focused on the following areas:

• Identifying topic areas for outcomes evaluation through standard processes such as drug utilization evaluation or the tracking of undesirable drug reaction trends.
• Evaluating published literature in the outcomes research domain by making a critical assessment of the research methods, limitations, potential for bias and the validity of the study’s conclusions.
• Designing outcomes research studies by providing relevant clinical information and participating in data collection. Pharmacists can also help to understand the population under study, and help to implement appropriate strategies which are of value to the patient population and the healthcare system.
• Analyzing and critically assessing results in light of study objectives and finding possible explanations behind the conclusions of the study. Pharmacists can help in identifying the most important results of the study.
• Identifying and executing intervention strategies resulting from the study. Appropriate implementation of correct intervention strategies is extremely helpful in improving patient care.
• Monitoring the results of those strategies by re-evaluation of the outcomes assessed. This evaluation assures that the problem identified in the outcomes research study has been resolved and acceptable cost-effective outcomes are achieved.
• Presenting results of outcomes research studies to assure continuous improvement in the evaluated therapeutic areas. Pharmacists may present the results of these outcomes evaluations to peer organizations as part of their efforts to advance pharmaceutical treatments.
• Repeating the evaluation process to verify that an effective intervention maintains efficacy over time. If not, the evaluation process may need to be completed again.

Pharmacy students interested in health economics and outcomes research can do advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE) rotations in the pharmaceutical industry or contract research organizations focusing on pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research.

After graduation, a new pharmacist can also do industry academia collaborative fellowships, which will prepare them for outcomes research jobs in the pharmaceutical industry.