Real-world data: principles of use in decision making and in health technology assessment

Abstract

The use of real-world data (RWD) and real-world evidence (RWE) in process of improving public health, their assessment, and use in decision making is a promising area. Discussions are actively underway about the possibility of using RWD and RWE in routine medical practice of doctors and health care organizers, the weaknesses of these matters and ways to overcome them. Taking into account the considerable amount of information, complexity, and inconsistency of issues under consideration, the article presents the basic principles of using RWD and RWE in decision making, classification of health technologies values, classification of RWE sources, position of RWD studies in the hierarchy of clinical study designs, as well as the ways of their use in complex drug assessment.

Keywords

• real-world data
• rwd
• real-world evidence
• rwe
• routine clinical practice
• health technology assessment
• complex drug assessment
• public health organization
• decision making