Document Type : Editorial
Clinical trials, systematic reviews and guidelines
compare beneficial and non-beneficial outcomes following
interventions. Often, however, various studies
on a particular topic do not address the same outcomes,
making it difficult to draw clinically useful
conclusions when a group of studies is looked at as
a whole (
Form a consortium among all gynaecologyobstetrics and related journals to promote core outcome sets in all areas of our specialty.
Encourage researchers to develop core outcome sets using robust consensus methodology involving multiple stakeholders, including patients.
Strongly encourage the reporting of results for core outcome sets.
Organise robust peer-review and effective dissemination of manuscripts describing core outcome sets.
Facilitate embedding of core outcome sets in research practice, working closely with researchers, reviewers, funders and guideline makers.
Development of consensus is required around a
set of well-defined, relevant and feasible outcomes
for all trials concerning particular obstetric and
gynaecologic health conditions, such as preterm
birth, incontinence, infertility and menstrual problems.
With so many subspecialties involved, this is
no easy task. Duplication of effort can be avoided
by working with the Core Outcome Measures in
Effectiveness Trials (COMET) Initiative, which
is working towards core data sets for all medical
specialties (
Journal editors now invite researchers to take the lead in beginning this work. What will we do as editors to support them and their colleagues? First, we are drawing wide attention to The CROWN Initiative by publishing this editorial in the journals listed below. We shall ensure that the global research community, which includes our many reviewers, is aware of the need for core outcome sets. Submissions which describe development of core outcome sets, if deemed acceptable after peer review, will be effectively disseminated.
Our collaboration is not for enforcing harmony
at the expense of innovation. To quote from the
COMET home page (
Producing, disseminating and implementing core outcome sets will ensure that critical and important outcomes with good measurement properties are incorporated and reported. We believe this is the next important step in advancing the usefulness of research, in informing readers, including guideline and policy developers, who are involved in decision-making, and in improving evidence-based practice.