Published Jan 17, 2013

Bristol, UK - Using patient-completed questionnaires to collect resource use in economic evaluations conducted alongside randomised controlled trials (RCTs) often results in missing data. A research team from the University of Bristol designed a log to give patients at baseline so they could record their resource use as it happens and help them complete resource use questions at follow-up. The article, “Using resource use logs to reduce the amount of missing data in economic evaluations alongside trials,” published in Value in Health, describes the full details of how the log was evaluated through a trial, where patients were randomised to be given or not given the log, and a qualitative study to explore patients’ views about using it. The log was well-received by patients and is useful in reducing missing data for some types of resource use collected by resource use questionnaires. Dr. Sian Noble, co-author on the study, says, “Missing data is an often overlooked issue in economic evaluations alongside randomised controlled trials. The resource use log is a practical way of helping study participants complete follow-up questionnaires which has the potential of reducing missing data at a minimum patient burden.”

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