Our automated review system seeks to locate the PIC elements of PICO.  We didn’t have the resource to do the ‘O’ (outcomes) which seems a shame.  But we want to explore incorporating it and an important starting block is having a list of outcomes.  Such a list doesn’t – obviously – exist.  I put an email request to the EBHC maillist and got a number of responses that have started me down the route of attempting to compile a list that might prove useful to me and others.

Another option to explore is scraping the outcomes listed in ct.gov, a fairly straightforward task but the outcomes aren’t ‘clean’.  By that, if you look at these example outcomes from the site they’re quite long, which can be problematic!

  • Measure Metformin Induced effects in phosphorylation of S6K, 4E-BP-1 and AMPK via immunohistochemical analysis
  • Antibody response rate to measles at 6 weeks postvaccination
  • Change in Maximum Forced Expiratory Volume at One Second (FEV1)
  • Biomarkers will be identified to help predict future prostate cancer risks and patients likely to benefit from preventive strategies

A further option is the COMET Initiative (Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials) and I’ve reached out to them for help.

So, very much a work in progress! As I type/write this we have just one list but we are hopeful that we’ve located two other lists, one in CVD and one in schizophrenia.

List to date:

From the SONG Initiative (Standardised Outcomes in Nephrology)

fatigue
cardiovascular disease
vascaular access
mortality
ability to travel
ability to work
anemia
blood pressure
anaemia
depression
dialysis adequacy
dialysis-free time
drop in blood pressure
hospitalization
hospitalisation
impact on friends
impact on family
infection
immunity
mobility
pain
potassium
target weight
washed out after dialysis
anxiety
stress
bone health
calcium
cognition
cramps
financial impact
food enjoyment
taste
itching
nausea
vomiting
parathyroid hormone
phosphate
restless legs
sexual function
sleep
insomnia