Good ReseArch for Comparative Effectiveness

The goal of the GRACE initiative is to enhance the quality of observational comparative effectiveness research (CER), and to facilitate its use for decision-making about therapeutic alternatives.

GRACE Principles
Designed as a set of high-level questions, the GRACE Principles address good practice for the design, conduct, analysis, and reporting of observational CER studies. These principles may be expanded to provide more detail and/or to address special applications. Case studies illustrate how these types of studies have been used to support decision-making by regulators, payers, and clinical societies. The GRACE principles are endorsed by the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology and supported by a number of professionals and organizations.

GRACE Checklist
Developed based on existing literature and guidance from experts with extensive experience in the conduct and utilization of observational CER, the GRACE Checklist, currently under development, will provide a validated tool for the assessment of observational CER quality and usefulness for decision-making.

As part of the development process, we are currently seeking testers to apply the GRACE Checklist to a set of observational CER studies as part of our validation efforts. If you are interested, or would like more information, please contact us at gracecoordinator@graceprinciples.org.