Article type
Abstract
Background
There are diverse needs and contexts for organizations maintaining portfolios of systematic reviews or clinical practice guidelines. However, resource limitations require efficient resource allocation through priority setting. Therefore, priority-setting assessments need to be added to the maintenance strategy. Once added, the organization must perform such assessments to make informed decisions about resource allocations.
Objectives
Our objectives were 3-fold: first, to develop a comprehensive framework for design and tailoring maintenance strategies for portfolios (published); second, to extend this framework with guidance on integrating priority-setting assessments to maintenance strategies (submitted); and finally, to provide a theoretical structure and practical tool for conducting priority-setting assessments (submitted).
Methods
We performed a literature review that both guided us in the direction of transferring components of diagnostic test-treatment strategies as a framework and informed this framework with examples. The framework was extended by transferring concepts of diagnostic test accuracy methodology in the context of priority setting in maintenance strategies. A literature review provided examples for the framework. We distilled main components of a priority-setting assessment and iteratively developed a practical tool.
Results
We developed the Portfolio Maintenance by Test-Treatment (POMBYTT) framework with diagnosis, staging, management, and monitoring components. The literature review provided possible examples for the elements in the framework, such as detection variables, tests, and thresholds. The POMBYTT framework was extended with guidance about the role and outcome level of priority-setting assessments, dictating how they perform in maintenance strategies. The main components identified in priority-setting assessments were process, function, and outcome. The developed Re-weighted Priority-Setting (REPS) tool is a flexible function component for priority-setting assessments that only requires meeting its input format (ie, one score per participant per item).
Conclusions
The developed framework might support the design of maintenance strategies that could contain multiple options besides updating to manage a portfolio (eg, withdrawing and archiving). By making different choices on key elements, organizations might tailor their maintenance strategy to suit specific contexts and needs. The POMBYTT framework’s extension helps understand the performance of priority-setting assessments in maintenance strategies. Main components in priority-setting assessments help structure such assessments, and as a function component, the REPS-tool can aid in obtaining a ranked output.
There are diverse needs and contexts for organizations maintaining portfolios of systematic reviews or clinical practice guidelines. However, resource limitations require efficient resource allocation through priority setting. Therefore, priority-setting assessments need to be added to the maintenance strategy. Once added, the organization must perform such assessments to make informed decisions about resource allocations.
Objectives
Our objectives were 3-fold: first, to develop a comprehensive framework for design and tailoring maintenance strategies for portfolios (published); second, to extend this framework with guidance on integrating priority-setting assessments to maintenance strategies (submitted); and finally, to provide a theoretical structure and practical tool for conducting priority-setting assessments (submitted).
Methods
We performed a literature review that both guided us in the direction of transferring components of diagnostic test-treatment strategies as a framework and informed this framework with examples. The framework was extended by transferring concepts of diagnostic test accuracy methodology in the context of priority setting in maintenance strategies. A literature review provided examples for the framework. We distilled main components of a priority-setting assessment and iteratively developed a practical tool.
Results
We developed the Portfolio Maintenance by Test-Treatment (POMBYTT) framework with diagnosis, staging, management, and monitoring components. The literature review provided possible examples for the elements in the framework, such as detection variables, tests, and thresholds. The POMBYTT framework was extended with guidance about the role and outcome level of priority-setting assessments, dictating how they perform in maintenance strategies. The main components identified in priority-setting assessments were process, function, and outcome. The developed Re-weighted Priority-Setting (REPS) tool is a flexible function component for priority-setting assessments that only requires meeting its input format (ie, one score per participant per item).
Conclusions
The developed framework might support the design of maintenance strategies that could contain multiple options besides updating to manage a portfolio (eg, withdrawing and archiving). By making different choices on key elements, organizations might tailor their maintenance strategy to suit specific contexts and needs. The POMBYTT framework’s extension helps understand the performance of priority-setting assessments in maintenance strategies. Main components in priority-setting assessments help structure such assessments, and as a function component, the REPS-tool can aid in obtaining a ranked output.