About NACTRC’s RWE Unit
The NACTRC RWE Unit is part of the Real World Evidence Consortium. It focuses on generating real world evidence about the potential uses, benefits, and risks of health technologies. This information gives industry members and payors valuable insights into patient pathways and allows for the right treatment for the right patients.
We know that high-quality, patient-oriented health care comes from working together. By bringing together stakeholders from different disciplines, we can produce high-quality evidence to support decision making. Together, we will improve patient outcomes for all Albertans.
The NACTRC RWE Unit is part of the Real World Evidence Consortium. It focuses on generating real world evidence about the potential uses, benefits, and risks of health technologies. This information gives industry members and payors valuable insights into patient pathways and allows for the right treatment for the right patients.
We know that high-quality, patient-oriented health care comes from working together. By bringing together stakeholders from different disciplines, we can produce high-quality evidence to support decision making. Together, we will improve patient outcomes for all Albertans.
Vision
A healthier Alberta through better evidence.
Goals
Strengthen health networks in Alberta for real world evidence generation
Support the use of real world evidence by health care professionals and decision makers
Values
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Respect
- Integrity
- Excellence
- Accountability
- Teamwork
- Innovation
Mission
Produce high-quality real world evidence to improve patient outcomes and to inform health programs and policy formulation
Enhance the ability of stakeholders to generate and use high-quality real world evidence
Services We Offer
Discovery and engagement for investigators and sponsors
Project development, selection, and research proposal development
Methodology and analytic plan development
Ethics submissions
Data acquisition from provincial administrative databases
Adverse drug reaction assessment and reporting
What is real world data?
Real world data refers to all data collected outside of randomized clinical trials. This data provides meaningful real world evidence about the health outcomes of diverse patient populations in real world settings. This includes patient health status, safety, risk, treatment patterns, healthcare use, and more.
Real world data refers to all data collected outside of randomized clinical trials. This data provides meaningful real world evidence about the health outcomes of diverse patient populations in real world settings. This includes patient health status, safety, risk, treatment patterns, healthcare use, and more.
Where does real world evidence come from?
Real world data can come from many sources in both clinical and non-clinical settings. Some examples include electronic medical records, insurance claims, billing activities, health surveys, patient registries, social media, health apps, and mobile devices.
Real world evidence can also be generated using various study designs, including exploratory observational studies, comparative effectiveness studies, and pragmatic clinical trials.
Why does real world evidence matter?
Evidence generated from randomized clinical trials often doesn’t reflect real world decision-making contexts.
To provide this information, we need real world evidence that shows the clinical and economic benefits of health products and technologies on patient health.
Real world evidence addresses the effectiveness of current practices to inform health and policy decisions. For example, it shows the post-market safety of new health technologies and products and clinical decision support for health professionals.
This data-driven evidence assists with regulatory and reimbursement decisions and addresses rising demands for the accountability, transparency, and relevance of decision making.
What is real world evidence capable of?
- Providing clinical evidence on the use, benefits, and risk of medical technologies/products
- Showing the effects of clinical intervention in diverse patient populations and health care settings
- Showing the trends and health burden of diseases and related health services
- Providing information about the effectiveness and efficiency of health services and program performance
- Providing information on health technology diffusion, implementation, and management
Why do real world evidence research in Alberta?
Alberta has a rich supply of data to support the generation of high-quality, decision-relevant real world evidence. The evidence can be used to improve the design and conduct of clinical trials, inform regulatory and reimbursement decisions, develop guidelines, and support clinical decision making.
Through its strong networks, Alberta has the infrastructure to support timely data access, data linkages, and statistical analysis of real world evidence. This enables decision makers to allocate scarce resources, make decisions, and plan the health system more effectively.
Alberta is also home to the Real World Evidence Consortium, which includes the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, and the Institute of Health Economics. The Consortium works to improve real world evidence by optimizing studies, strengthening the ecosystem, and providing support services such as study design, execution, and knowledge sharing.
