RESEARCH SERVICES
Meeting the Need for Rigorous Research in Health Care Claims
The public is constantly faced with claims about therapeutic and healing practices. Trying to sort out what works and what does not is often done in a haphazard and unreliable manner—or the information is not available at all.
The evidence gap poses a challenge to health professionals,educators, funders and patients seeking to establish whether a health claim is supported by valid clinical evidence. There is a need for a streamlined, systematic and valid process for evaluating the safety and effectiveness of these claims.
Samueli Institute created SEaRCH™ (Scientific Evaluation and Review of Claims in Health Care) to fill this gap by offering a scientifically rigorous, yet systematic and streamlined method for evaluating claims of therapies,practices or products for treating disease, improving health and/or improving human performance.
SEaRCH™ has particular applicability to traditional complementary and alternative medicine and integrative health practice but is equally valid for any claim of any intervention—be it a product, practice or program.
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THE CUSTOMIZABLE SEaRCH™ PROCESS
SEaRCH™ employs a protocol that provides a rapid, criteria-based approach to claim evaluation and provides the end-user or client with a rigorous, transparent and customizable process.
Upon receiving a client’s request to evaluate a therapeutic or health care claim Samueli Institute staff create a customizable research protocol including: a Claims Assessment Profile (CAP), a Systematic Review,and/or an Expert Panel.
Claims Assessment Profile uses surveys, site visits and field investigations to describe the claim and evaluate the practice as it is done.
Systematic Review determines the current state of scientific and clinical evidence as reflected in the literature. See a list of our Systematic Reviews.
Expert Panel use systematic, semi-quantitative processes for connecting evidence to use. When the client needs to determine next steps in research a Research Expert Panel is used. When a client seeks to evaluate the appropriateness of the practice for clinical application, a Clinical Expert Panel is used.
REPORTS AND DELIVERABLES
The full SEaRCH™ process provides three deliverables: a Claim Report, an Evidence Report and an Expert Panel Report.
- The Claim Report is a detailed description of the practice, its structure, process and reported outcomes.
- The Evidence Report is the state of the current evidence supporting or not supporting the practice or product and includes sufficient information to establish guidelines.
- The Expert Panel Report provides a semi-quantified summary based on evidence combined with expert judgment to provide to provide recommendations.
Together, this systematic process results in a clear description, a rigorous evidence summary, and a balanced, expert assessment of any healing or treatment claim.
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Have questions? Contact us to learn more:
703-299-4800 or services@siib.org
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