Measures and metrics for feasibility of proof-of-concept studies with human immunodeficiency virus rapid point-of-care technologies: The evidence and the framework

Nitika Pant Pai, Tiago Chiavegatti, Rohit Vijh, Nicolaos Karatzas, Jana Daher, Megan Smallwood, Tom Wong, Nora Engel

Research output: Contribution to JournalReview articleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Objective Pilot (feasibility) studies form a vast majority of diagnostic studies with point-of-care technologies but often lack use of clear measures/metrics and a consistent framework for reporting and evaluation. To fill this gap, we systematically reviewed data to (a) catalog feasibility measures/metrics and (b) propose a framework. Methods For the period January 2000 to March 2014, 2 reviewers searched 4 databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus), retrieved 1441 citations, and abstracted data from 81 studies. We observed 2 major categories of measures, that is, implementation centered and patient centered, and 4 subcategories of measures, that is, feasibility, acceptability, preference, and patient experience. We defined and delineated metrics and measures for a feasibility framework. We documented impact measures for a comparison. Findings We observed heterogeneity in reporting of metrics as well as misclassification and misuse of metrics within measures. Although we observed poorly defined measures and metrics for feasibility, preference, and patient experience, in contrast, acceptability measure was the best defined. For example, within feasibility, metrics such as consent, completion, new infection, linkage rates, and turnaround times were misclassified and reported. Similarly, patient experience was variously reported as test convenience, comfort, pain, and/or satisfaction. In contrast, within impact measures, all the metrics were well documented, thus serving as a good baseline comparator. With our framework, we classified, delineated, and defined quantitative measures and metrics for feasibility. Conclusions Our framework, with its defined measures/metrics, could reduce misclassification and improve the overall quality of reporting for monitoring and evaluation of rapid point-of-care technology strategies and their context-driven optimization.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)141-150
JournalPoint of Care
Volume16
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2017
Externally publishedYes

Funding

From the *Department of Medicine, McGill University; †Division of Clinical Epidemiology, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec; ‡Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Canada; and §Department of Health, Ethics and Society, Research School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Reprints: Nitika Pant Pai, MD, MPH, PhD, Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine McGill University and Health Centre, 5252 Boul de Maisonneuve, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4A 3S5. E‐mail: [email protected]. The authors declare no conflict of interest. This study was supported by Gates Foundation operating grant OPP1061487 and CIHR HIB-131558. The authors also received FRQS Salary Award Junior 2 (2015–2018). Supplemental digital contents are available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the printed text and are provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal’s Web site (www.poctjournal.com). Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CCBY), which permits unrestricted use, distri-bution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ISSN: 1533-029X

FundersFunder number
Bill and Melinda Gates FoundationOPP1061487
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Canadian Institutes of Health ResearchHIB-131558
Canadian Institutes of Health Research

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