AHRQ Comparative Effectiveness Reviews

Comparative effectiveness research is designed to inform health-care decisions by providing evidence on the effectiveness, benefits, and harms of different treatment options. The evidence is generated from research studies that compare drugs, medical devices, tests, surgeries, or ways to deliver health care.

The Effective Health Care Program funds individual researchers, research centers, and academic organizations to work together with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to produce effectiveness and comparative effectiveness research for clinicians, consumers, and policymakers.

Comparative effectiveness reviews draw on completed scientific studies to make head-to-head comparisons of different health care interventions. They outline the effectiveness — or benefits and harms — of treatment options.