Core Outcome Set for Clinical Trials on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COS-COVID)
Xinyao Jin,
Bo Pang,
Junhua Zhang,
Qingquan Liu,
Zhongqi Yang,
Jihong Feng,
Xuezheng Liu,
Lei Zhang,
Baohe Wang,
Yuhong Huang,
Alice Josephine Fauci,
Yuling Ma,
Myeong Soo Lee,
Wei'an Yuan,
Yanming Xie,
Jianyuan Tang,
Rui Gao,
Liang Du,
Shuo Zhang,
Hanmei Qi,
Yu Sun,
Wenke Zheng,
Fengwen Yang,
Huizi Chua,
Keyi Wang,
Yi Ou,
Ming Huang,
Yan Zhu,
Jiajie Yu,
Jinhui Tian,
Min Zhao,
Jingqing Hu,
Chen Yao,
Youping Li,
Boli Zhang
Affiliations
Xinyao Jin
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China; Chinese Clinical Trials Core Outcome Set Research Center, Tianjin 301617, China
Bo Pang
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China; Chinese Clinical Trials Core Outcome Set Research Center, Tianjin 301617, China
Junhua Zhang
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China; Chinese Clinical Trials Core Outcome Set Research Center, Tianjin 301617, China; Corresponding authors.
Qingquan Liu
Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China
Zhongqi Yang
The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, China
Jihong Feng
The Second Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300150, China
Xuezheng Liu
The First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300201, China
Lei Zhang
The First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300201, China
Baohe Wang
The Second Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300150, China
Yuhong Huang
The Second Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300150, China
Alice Josephine Fauci
Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome 00161, Italy
Yuling Ma
University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
Myeong Soo Lee
Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon 34054, Republic of Korea
Wei'an Yuan
Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China
Yanming Xie
Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
Jianyuan Tang
Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610075, China
Rui Gao
Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100091, China
Liang Du
Chinese Clinical Trials Core Outcome Set Research Center, Tianjin 301617, China; The Chinese Cochrane Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
Shuo Zhang
The Second Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300150, China
Hanmei Qi
The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
Yu Sun
Suqian People’s Hospital of Nanjing Drum-Tower Hospital Group, Suqian 223800, China
Wenke Zheng
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China; Chinese Clinical Trials Core Outcome Set Research Center, Tianjin 301617, China
Fengwen Yang
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China; Chinese Clinical Trials Core Outcome Set Research Center, Tianjin 301617, China
Huizi Chua
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China; Chinese Clinical Trials Core Outcome Set Research Center, Tianjin 301617, China
Keyi Wang
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China; Chinese Clinical Trials Core Outcome Set Research Center, Tianjin 301617, China
Yi Ou
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China; Chinese Clinical Trials Core Outcome Set Research Center, Tianjin 301617, China
Ming Huang
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China
Yan Zhu
Tianjin State Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China
Jiajie Yu
Chinese Clinical Trials Core Outcome Set Research Center, Tianjin 301617, China; The Chinese Cochrane Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
Jinhui Tian
Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
Min Zhao
The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450099, China
Jingqing Hu
Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medicine Science, Beijing 100700, China
Chen Yao
Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
Youping Li
Chinese Clinical Trials Core Outcome Set Research Center, Tianjin 301617, China; The Chinese Cochrane Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
Boli Zhang
Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China; Tianjin State Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 301617, China; Corresponding authors.
Since its outbreak in December 2019, a series of clinical trials on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been registered or carried out. However, the significant heterogeneity and less critical outcomes of such trials may be leading to a waste of research resources. This study aimed to develop a core outcome set (COS) for clinical trials on COVID-19 in order to tackle the outcome issues. The study was conducted according to the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) Handbook: Version 1.0, a guideline for COS development. A research group was set up that included experts in respiratory and critical medicine, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), evidence-based medicine, clinical pharmacology, and statistics, in addition to medical journal editors. Clinical trial registry websites (www.chictr.org.cn and clinicaltrials.gov) were searched to retrieve clinical trial protocols and outcomes in order to form an outcome pool. A total of 78 clinical trial protocols on COVID-19 were included and 259 outcomes were collected. After standardization, 132 outcomes were identified within seven different categories, of which 58 were selected to develop a preliminary outcome list for further consensus. After two rounds of Delphi survey and one consensus meeting, the most important outcomes for the different clinical classifications of COVID-19 were identified and determined to constitute the COS for clinical trials on COVID-19 (COS-COVID). The COS-COVID includes one outcome for the mild type (time to 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) negativity), four outcomes for the ordinary type (length of hospital stay, composite events, score of clinical symptoms, and time to 2019-nCoV RT-PCR negativity), five outcomes for the severe type (composite events, length of hospital stay, arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO2)/fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2), duration of mechanical ventilation, and time to 2019-nCoV RT-PCR negativity), one outcome for critical type (all-cause mortality), and one outcome for rehabilitation period (pulmonary function). The COS-COVID is currently the most valuable and practical clinical outcome set for the evaluation of intervention effect, and is useful for evidence assessment and decision-making. With a deepening understanding of COVID-19 and application feedback, the COS-COVID should be continuously updated.
