Patient Preference Information  
Voluntary Submission, Review in 
Premarket Approval Applications, 
Humanitarian Device Exemption 
Applications, and De Novo Requests, 
and Inclusion in Decision Summaries 
and Device Labeling  
 
 
Guidance for Industry, Food and 
Drug Administration Staff, and 
Other Stakeholders  
 
Document issued on August 24, 2016.  
This document will be in effect as of October 23, 2016. 
 
The draft of this document was issued on May 18, 2015. 
 
 
For questions about this document regarding CDRH-regulated devices, contact the Office of 
the Center Director (CDRH) at 301-796-5900 or Anindita Saha at 301-796-2537 
(Anindita.Saha@fda.hhs.gov).. 
 
For questions about this document regarding CBER-regulated devices, contact the Office of 
Communication, Outreach, and Development (OCOD) at 1-800-835-4709 or 240-402-8010.  
 
 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
Food and Drug Administration 
Center for Devices and Radiological Health 
      
Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research 
 
  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
Preface 
 
 
Public Comment 
 
You may submit electronic comments and suggestions at any time for Agency consideration to 
http://www.regulations.gov. Submit written comments to the Division of Dockets 
Management, Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, (HFA-305), 
Rockville, MD 20852.  Identify all comments with the docket number FDA-2015-D-1580. 
Comments may not be acted upon by the Agency until the document is next revised or updated. 
 
Additional Copies 
 
Additional copies are available from the Internet. You may also send an e-mail request to 
CDRH-Guidance@fda.hhs.gov to receive a copy of the guidance.  Please use the document 
number 1500006 to identify the guidance you are requesting. 
 
Additional copies are available from the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research 
(CBER) by written request, Office of Communication, Outreach, and Development (OCOD), 
10903 New Hampshire Ave., WO71, Room 3128, Silver Spring, MD 20903, or by calling 1-
800-835-4709 or 240-402-8010, by email, ocod@fda.hhs.gov, or from the Internet at  
http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInform
ation/Guidances/default.htm.   Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
Table of Contents 
 
 
I.  Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 1 
II.  Overview and Scope ............................................................................................................................................... 3 
III.  Background ............................................................................................................................................................ 4 
3.1   How can patient input impact decision making? ..................................................................................... 5 
 
3.2  What is patient preference information? .................................................................................................. 6 
 
3.3   Why include patient preference information in decision making? .......................................................... 7 
 
3.4   Are there established quantitative methods to elicit patient preferences? ............................................... 7 
 
3.5   How is patient preference information different from patient-reported outcomes? ................................ 8 
 
3.6   Is the submission of patient preference information required for sponsors? ........................................... 9 
 
3.7   When and how might FDA consider patient preference information during the review of PMAs, HDE 
applications, and de novo requests? ................................................................................................................. 9 
 
IV. Recommended Qualities of Patient Preference Studies ........................................................................................ 11 
Example: CDRH Patient Preferences of Weight Loss Devices Study .......................................................... 15 
 
V.  Additional Regulatory Considerations ................................................................................................................. 16 
5.1   Maintaining the Integrity of Patient Preference Information ................................................................. 16 
 
5.2   Conditions of Approval ......................................................................................................................... 17 
 
VI. Submission of Patient Preference Information ..................................................................................................... 18 
VII. Inclusion of Patient Preference Information in Decision Summaries and Device Labeling  ................................ 18 
VIII.  Hypothetical Examples ................................................................................................................................. 20 
Appendix A: Incorporating Patient Preference Information and Other Patient Input into the Total Product Lifecycle  
  23  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
Patient Preference Information  
Voluntary Submission, Review in 
Premarket Approval Applications, 
Humanitarian Device Exemption 
Applications, and De Novo Requests, 
and Inclusion in Decision Summaries 
and Device Labeling
 
Guidance for Industry, Food and 
Drug Administration Staff, and 
Other Stakeholders 
 
 
This guidance represents the current thinking of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA 
or Agency) on this topic.  It does not establish any rights for any person and is not binding 
on FDA or the public.  You can use an alternative approach if it satisfies the requirements 
of the applicable statutes and regulations.  To discuss an alternative approach, contact the 
FDA staff or Office responsible for this guidance as listed on the title page.  
 
I.  Introduction  
 
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) values the experience and 
perspectives of patients.  The Agency understands that patients and care-partners who live 
with a disease or condition on a daily basis and utilize devices in their care may have 
developed their own insights into and perspectives on the benefits and risks of devices 
reviewed under the premarket approval, humanitarian device exemption (HDE), or de novo 
classification pathway.  FDA believes that patients can and should bring their own 
experiences to bear in helping the Agency evaluate the benefit-risk profile of certain devices.  
This kind of input can be important to consider during FDAs decision making for these 
devices. 
 
For this reason, FDAs guidance document Factors to Consider When Making Benefit-Risk 
  1  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
Determinations in Medical Device Premarket Approval and De Novo Classifications1 
(hereafter referred to as the Benefit-Risk Guidance) explains that reviewers may consider 
certain data measuring patient perspectives during the premarket review process for 
premarket approval applications (PMAs) and de novo classification requests, when such 
information is available.  That guidance specifies that patient tolerance for risk and 
perspective on benefit, in addition to several other factors, may be considered in FDAs 
assessment of the benefit-risk profile of certain devices when the information qualifies as 
valid scientific evidence.2    
 
This guidance document takes the next step and provides guidance on patient preference 
information (PPI) that may be used by FDA staff in decision making related to PMAs, HDE 
applications, and de novo requests.  The objectives of this guidance are:  
 
1)  to encourage submission of PPI, if available, by sponsors or other stakeholders to 
FDA and to aid in FDA decision making;  
2)  to outline recommended qualities of patient preference studies, which may result in 
valid scientific evidence;  
3)  to provide recommendations for collecting and submitting PPI to FDA; and  
4)  to discuss FDAs inclusion of PPI in its decision summaries and provide 
recommendations for the inclusion of such information in device labeling.   
This guidance also includes several hypothetical examples that illustrate how PPI may inform 
FDAs decision making.  
 
The policy described in this guidance document is consistent with FDAs Benefit-Risk 
Guidance. In particular, the Worksheet for Benefit-Risk Determinations from the Benefit-
Risk Guidance has been updated to reflect the Agencys current thinking on patient 
preference information. 
 
FDA's guidance documents, including this guidance, do not establish legally enforceable 
responsibilities.  Instead, guidance documents describe the Agencys current thinking on a 
topic and should be viewed only as recommendations, unless specific regulatory or statutory 
requirements are cited.  The use of the word should in Agency guidance means that 
something is suggested or recommended, but not required. 
                                                           
1 See FDAs Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Factors to Consider When 
Making Benefit-Risk Determinations in Medical Device Premarket Approval and De Novo Classifications 
issued on March 28, 2012  
(http://www.fda.gov/downloads/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandguidance/guidanceDocuments/UCM296
379.pdf).  
2 See section 513(a)(3)(B), (a)(3)(D), and (e) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) (21 
U.S.C. 360c(a)(3)(B), (a)(3)(D), and (e)); see also 21 CFR 860.7 for a further discussion of valid scientific 
evidence.    
  2  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
II.  Overview and Scope  
 
This guidance document explains the principal concepts that sponsors and other stakeholders 
should consider when choosing to collect PPI, which may inform FDAs benefit-risk 
determinations in the premarket review of PMAs, HDE applications, and de novo requests.  
This guidance is applicable to both diagnostic and therapeutic devices that are subject to 
these review processes. This guidance also discusses FDAs inclusion of PPI in its decision 
summaries and provides recommendations for the inclusion of such information in device 
labeling for certain devices.   
 
Patients provide valuable input to the FDA in a variety of forms. Patient input includes a 
wide range of information and perspectives including anecdotal comments in correspondence 
to the FDA or testimony at Advisory Committee Panel meetings, patient opinions expressed 
publicly including through social media, patient responses to qualitative ad hoc surveys, and 
quantitative measurements of patient-reported outcomes.  
 
Patient perspectives refer to a type of patient input, and includes information relating to 
patients experiences with a disease or condition and its management. This may be useful for 
better understanding the disease or condition and its impact on patients, identifying outcomes 
most important to patients, and understanding benefit-risk tradeoffs for treatment. This 
guidance focuses on patient preference information as one specific type of patient 
perspective.   
 
PPI may be particularly useful in evaluating a devices benefit-risk profile when patient 
decisions are preference sensitive.  Patient decisions regarding treatment options are 
preference sensitive when: 
1)  multiple treatment options exist and there is no option that is clearly superior for all 
patients;  
2)  when the evidence supporting one option over others is considerably uncertain or 
variable; and/or  
3) patients views about the most important benefits and acceptable risks of a technology 
vary considerably within a population, or differ from those of healthcare 
professionals.  
 
PPI may not be relevant or appropriate for all device types. Submission of PPI to FDA is 
voluntary.  PPI can be useful during FDAs benefit-risk assessment for certain devices in 
several major ways, including:  
1)  to help identify the most important benefits and risks of a technology from a patients 
perspective (including to inform selection of primary or secondary endpoints);  
2)  to assess the relative importance to patients of different attributes of benefit and risk, 
and clarify how patients think about the tradeoffs of these benefits and risks for a 
given technology (including to inform minimum clinically important benefit and 
effect size); and  
  3  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
3)  to help understand the heterogeneity or distribution of patient preferences regarding 
benefits and risks of various treatment or diagnostic options (including to inform 
patient subgroup considerations as part of benefit-risk assessments).   
 
Notably, this guidance does not change the review standards for PMAs, HDE applications or 
de novo requests (refer to Section 3.7), nor does it create any extra burden on sponsors of 
premarket submissions.  Rather, it provides recommendations relating to the voluntary 
collection of PPI that may be submitted for consideration as valid scientific evidence as part 
of FDAs benefit-risk assessment during its review of PMAs, HDE applications, and de novo 
requests.  
 
This guidance focuses on patient tolerance for risk and perspective on benefit, and does not 
address other factors in FDAs assessment of the benefit-risk profile of a device, which are 
described in the Benefit-Risk Guidance.  FDA may consider certain submitted PPI, along 
with the totality of evidence from clinical and nonclinical testing, during the premarket 
review process and FDAs benefit-risk determination for devices subject to review in a PMA, 
HDE application, or de novo request.   
 
Certain concepts discussed in this guidance are applicable to the device development process 
from design to market.  As such, the patient preference considerations set out herein may also 
be informative to sponsors during the design, nonclinical testing, pre-submissions, and 
Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) phases of their device development.  
 
Additionally, this guidance may be informative to other stakeholders such as patient groups 
and academia who may wish to consider conducting patient preference studies.  The Agency 
encourages sponsors and other stakeholders considering conducting patient preference 
studies and submitting PPI to FDA to have early interactions with FDA during the design 
phase of such studies and obtain feedback from the relevant FDA review division. 
 
III.  Background  
 
Historically, some patients have brought their views to FDA regarding the approval or 
clearance of FDA-regulated medical products.  Their views have influenced decisions by 
providing additional insight and helped to provide the public with faster access to safe and 
effective medical products, such as those for patients with HIV3 and multiple sclerosis.4   
 
Section 1137 of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) 
directs the Agency to develop and implement strategies to solicit the views of patients 
during the medical product development process and consider the perspectives of patients 
during regulatory discussions (section 569C of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 360bbb-8c(a))).   
                                                           
3 Expanded Access and Expedited Approval of New Therapies Related to HIV/AIDS, 
http://www.fda.gov/ForPatients/Illness/HIVAIDS/Treatment/ucm134331.htm (last visited, May 10, 2016). 
4 See FDAs Guidance for Industry; Expedited Programs for Serious ConditionsDrugs and Biologics, issued 
May 2014 
(http://www.fda.gov/downloads/drugs/guidancecomplianceregulatoryinformation/guidances/ucm358301.pdf). 
  4  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
 
To solicit stakeholders views, better understand the barriers patients have experienced in 
trying to participate in the regulatory process for devices, and evaluate the state of the science 
of measuring patient preferences, FDA held a public workshop on September 18 and 19, 
2013.5  This workshop served as the public launch of CDRHs Patient Preference Initiative 
for devices, announced in 2012 as a strategy to better understand and assess patient 
perspectives to help inform the development and FDA review of devices.  The Agency heard 
from a range of researchers, industry representatives, and patient groups, and has considered 
their comments and suggestions on using PPI in the review of PMAs, HDE applications, and 
de novo requests. 
 
FDA aims to provide a systematic way to ensure that patients are represented and patient 
perspectives are considered in the decision making process.  Patient representatives have 
long served as non-voting members on panels of FDAs Medical Devices Advisory 
Committee.  In 2015, FDA announced the establishment of the Patient Engagement Advisory 
Committee (PEAC), to advise FDA on complex issues relating to medical devices, the 
regulation of devices, and their use by patients.6  The PEAC was established to help ensure 
the needs and experiences of patients are incorporated into FDAs work in areas such as: 
 
1)  advising FDA on ways to include and foster participation of patients, where 
appropriate, throughout the total product lifecycle; 
2)  advising FDA on patient perspectives about current and new approaches or policies 
for integrating patient input in decision making; and 
3)  serving as a resource to FDA as a body of experts in patient experience, needs, and 
the activities of the patient community. 
3.1   How can patient input impact decision making? 
 
Patients can provide useful information on a range of topics, including (but not limited to) an 
individual patients overall view of his or her condition, the natural history of the condition, 
the impact of the condition on the patients life, the patients own experience with treatments 
or perspective on unmet needs, outcomes and endpoints important to the patient, priorities for 
disease management, and other patient preferences and perspectives. Patient input can be 
obtained in a variety of ways and can often be supplemented with other sources of 
information (e.g., literature review, care-partner or healthcare professional input).  
 
                                                           
5 See Public Workshop - The Patient Preference Initiative: Incorporating Patient Preference Information into the 
Medical Device Regulatory Processes, September 18-19, 2013,  
http://www.fda.gov/medicaldevices/newsevents/workshopsconferences/ucm361864.htm (last visited January 
15, 2015); see also The Patient Preference Initiative: Incorporating Patient Preference Information Into Medical 
Device Regulatory Processes: Public Workshop; Request for Comments. 78 FR 45538 (July 29, 2013).  
6 Patient Engagement Advisory Committee, 
http://www.fda.gov/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/PatientEngagementAdvisoryCommitte
e/default.htm (last visited, September 18, 2015); see also Establishment of the Patient Engagement Advisory 
Committee; Establishment of a Public Docket; Request for Comments, 80 FR 57007 (September 21, 2015).  
  5  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
Patients input regarding their experiences and perspectives on their disease or condition and 
its management may be useful throughout the total product lifecycle for certain devices, by 
improving understanding of the disease or condition, defining design inputs to meet needs of 
the patient end user, assessing outcomes most important to patients, and more.  See Appendix 
A for more information. 
 
3.2  What is patient preference information? 
 
This guidance focuses on the specific type of patient input referred to as patient preference 
information, which, for the purposes of this guidance, is defined as: qualitative or 
quantitative assessments of the relative desirability or acceptability to patients of specified 
alternatives or choices among outcomes or other attributes that differ among alternative 
health interventions.7   
 
FDA may also consider the preferences of care-partners (e.g., parents) and healthcare 
professionals to the extent they are relevant in the benefit-risk assessments for a particular 
device subject to review in a PMA, HDE application, or de novo request. 
 
The specific role of quantitative PPI is to provide estimates of how much different outcomes, 
endpoints or other attributes are valued by patients, and the tradeoffs that patients state or 
demonstrate they are willing to make among them.  Such outcomes or other attributes of a 
device include demonstrated or posited measures of effectiveness, safety, and other device 
characteristics that may impact benefit-risk considerations, including (but not limited to) 
means of implantation, duration of effect, duration and frequency of use, and utility of the 
device. 
 
Patient preference assessments should take into account both the patients willingness and 
unwillingness to accept the identified risks associated with device use.  Both willingness and 
unwillingness are helpful in determining patient tolerance for risk and perspective on benefit, 
and may be informative in FDAs assessment of the benefit-risk profile of a device subject to 
review in a PMA, HDE application, or de novo request.8 
 
In the context of benefit-risk assessments, qualitative PPI may be useful in identifying which 
outcomes, endpoints or other attributes are valued most by patients and which factors affect 
patients perspectives on risk and benefit.  Quantitative PPI can provide estimates of how 
much different outcomes, endpoints or other attributes are valued by patients, and the 
tradeoffs that patients state or demonstrate they are willing to make among them.  Patients 
may be queried about their risk tolerance and benefit-risk preferences in the context of a 
specified therapy a priori (to prospectively report their preferences without prior experience 
with a particular device) or after receiving treatment. 
 
                                                           
7 Adapted from: Medical Device Innovation Consortium. A framework for incorporating information on patient 
preferences regarding benefit and risk into regulatory assessments of new medical technology. 2015. 
(http://mdic.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/MDIC_PCBR_Framework_Proof5_Web.pdf). 
8 See Footnote 1. 
  6  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
 
3.3   Why include patient preference information in decision making? 
 
It is important to acknowledge that individual patient preferences may vary and that a patient 
may not assign the same values to various risks and benefits as his/her healthcare 
professional, a family member, regulator, or another individual.  Furthermore, patient 
preferences may vary both regarding perspective on benefits and risks, as well as in preferred 
modality of treatment/diagnostic procedure (e.g., often devices are one option to be 
considered in a treatment care path, which may include surgery or medication).  Some 
patients may be willing to accept higher risks to potentially achieve a small benefit, whereas 
others may be more risk averse, requiring more benefit to be willing to accept certain risks.  
 
An individuals personal values, disease stage, family circumstances, age and other 
demographic characteristics may also influence his/her benefit-risk preferences.  Evaluations 
of patient-centered variations in tolerance to risks and perspective on benefits may, in the 
aggregate, reveal a population-level assessment of patient benefit-risk preference for that 
device, which may be considered valid scientific evidence (see 21 CFR 860.7) and may 
inform FDAs benefit-risk assessment for a device subject to review in a PMA, HDE 
application, or de novo request.  If this assessment reveals that a significant number of 
reasonable and well-informed patients would accept the probable benefits despite the 
probable risks, this may help support a favorable benefit-risk profile.9    
 
Furthermore, it may be appropriate to approve a PMA, approve an HDE application, or grant 
a de novo request for a device for use in a subset of the population for which an indication is 
requested, when valid scientific evidence shows that the requisite statutory standard is met 
for use of the device in that subset.  In making such a determination, FDA may consider PPI 
along with the totality of evidence from clinical and nonclinical testing.  If FDA determines 
that the relevant statutory standard is not met for any definable sub-population, FDA would 
not approve or grant marketing authorization for such a device. 
 
3.4   Are there established quantitative methods to elicit patient 
preferences? 
 
There are a variety of quantitative approaches to eliciting patient preferences.  Such 
approaches attempt to quantify a spectrum of patient preferences from individual patients, 
which requires careful study design, conduct, and analysis.  For straightforward decisions 
regarding risk tolerance and patient preference, qualitative input may be sufficient.  Complex 
questions regarding such issues, however, may require quantitative evidence to ensure that 
different outcomes are properly weighed in the same scale and therefore can be compared.  
 
Multiple studies have identified and compared a variety of methods to measure patient 
preferences on benefits and risks and derive preference weights in a scale that allows for 
                                                           
9 See Benefit-Risk Guidance (Footnote 1) for guidance on other principal factors that FDA considers when 
making benefit-risk determinations in the premarket review of certain devices. 
  7  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
direct comparison.10,11  Many of these studies have used a class of methods called stated 
preference, in which preferences are elicited by offering choices or posing contingent 
valuation questions to study participants.  These stated-preference methods involve some 
simplification of the decision problem to a manageable subset of decision variables or to 
some simple valuation questions compared to what individual patients are likely to face.  
 
Other studies have used revealed-preference methods in which patient preferences are 
obtained from the actual observed choices made by patients.  These studies can avoid the 
hypothetical bias associated with the stated-preference studies.  However, the revealed-
preference methods often cannot be applied when a device profile of interest is not yet 
available for patients to choose because a device is still under regulatory review.  Therefore, 
use of revealed-preference methods is typically limited when the benefit-risk profile of a 
device is not comparable to any other devices on the market.  Moreover, these methods are 
also subject to potential biases such as financial considerations of individual patients.      
 
Both stated-preference and revealed-preference methods may be informative for 
understanding patient preferences.  Selection of appropriate methods will depend on the 
primary use of PPI. 
 
FDA acknowledges that quantitative patient preference assessment is an active and evolving 
research area.  We intend this guidance to serve as a catalyst for advancement of the science, 
through continual development and refinement of qualitative and quantitative methods for 
eliciting patient preferences regarding benefits and risks associated with use of devices.  
 
3.5   How is patient preference information different from patient-reported 
outcomes? 
 
A patient-reported outcome (PRO) is any report of the status of a patients health condition 
that comes directly from the patient, without interpretation of the patients response by a 
clinician or anyone else.12  PROs are patient-reported information that otherwise might not 
be clinically observable or reported.  For example, two widely used PRO measures are the 
Visual Analogue Score (VAS) for pain and the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and 
Disability Index (DI) score for physical function.  
 
PRO instruments are designed to measure a patients perceptions of health status before, 
during, and after therapy, while patient preference studies are designed to measure what 
specified type of therapy or attributes of a given therapeutic or diagnostic strategy a patient 
might prefer. While PRO measures may provide a snapshot of a patients own assessment of 
                                                           
10 A.B. Hauber, et al., Quantifying BenefitRisk Preferences for Medical Interventions: An Overview of a 
Growing Empirical Literature, App. Health Econ. Health Policy, 319-329 (2013). 
11 D. Hughes, et al., IMI-PROTECT Benefit-Risk Group: Recommendations for the methodology and 
visualization techniques to be used in the assessment of benefit and risk of medicines (2013). 
12 See FDAs Guidance for Industry; Patient-Reported Outcome Measures: Use in Medical Product 
Development to Support Labeling Claims, issued December 2009 
(http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/Guidances/UCM193282.pdf). 
  8  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
various outcomes at a given point in time, they do not convey how much the patient values 
one specified outcome or therapy when compared to other potential outcomes and therapies.  
Assessing this type of comparison or tradeoff is what patient preference studies are designed 
to do.  These studies may address, for example, whether a patient would be willing to choose 
a treatment that causes a specified level of reduction (i.e., loss) in physical function  in 
exchange for a specified improvement (i.e., gain) in pain relief.  Quantitative methods have 
been developed to answer this type of question by eliciting patient preferences for attributes 
that differ among alternative options.13, 14, 15  
 
3.6   Is the submission of patient preference information required for 
sponsors? 
 
Submission of PPI to FDA is voluntary.  PPI may not be relevant or appropriate for all device 
types.  However, it may be useful for sponsors to collect and submit such information for 
certain PMAs, HDE applications, and de novo requests, particularly for those product types 
and diseases or conditions where usage decisions by patients and healthcare professionals are 
preference-sensitive (as described in Section II).   
 
PPI might be useful for the following device characteristics16:    
 
  Devices with a direct patient interface. 
  Devices intended to yield significant health and appearance benefits.  
  Devices intended to directly affect health-related quality of life. 
  Certain life-saving but high-risk devices. 
  Devices developed to fill an unmet medical need or treat a rare disease or condition. 
  Devices that offer alternative benefits to those already marketed. 
  Devices with novel technology. 
 
3.7   When and how might FDA consider patient preference information 
during the review of PMAs, HDE applications, and de novo requests?  
 
Well-designed and conducted patient preference studies can provide valid scientific evidence 
regarding patients risk tolerance and perspective on benefit.  This may inform FDAs 
evaluation of a devices benefit-risk profile during the PMA, HDE application, and de novo 
request review processes.   
 
Patient preference studies can be informative for devices under PMA and de novo review by 
providing patient perspectives on benefits, including whether results are significant from a 
                                                           
13 See Footnote 7. 
14 M Agapova, et al., Applying Quantitative BenefitRisk Analysis to Aid Regulatory Decision Making in 
Diagnostic Imaging: Methods, Challenges, and Opportunities, Academic Radiology, 1138-1143 (2014). 
15 See Footnote 10. 
16 Refer to the MDIC Framework (see Footnote 7) for examples of types of preference sensitive decisions where 
patient preference information could be useful. 
  9  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
patient perspective, and risks, including whether patients would consider the risks to be 
unreasonable. Furthermore, patient preference studies can also be informative for devices 
under HDE application review by providing patient perspectives on whether the probable 
benefit to health from the use of the device outweighs the risk of injury or illness from its 
use, taking into account the probable risks and benefits of currently available devices or 
alternative forms of treatment (section 520(m) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 360j(m))).    
 
The following sections provide a brief overview of the focus of FDAs review during these 
processes.  Hypothetical examples of how FDA might consider PPI when making benefit-
risk assessments are described in Section VIII.   
 
FDAs Evaluation of PMAs.  In the PMA review, FDA determines whether a device 
provides a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness by weighing any probable 
benefit to health from the use of the device against any probable risk of injury or illness from 
such use, among other relevant factors (section 513(a)(2)(C) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 
360c(a)(2)(C))).17  A reasonable assurance of safety occurs when it can be determined, 
based upon valid scientific evidence, that the probable benefits ... outweigh any probable 
risks, and the valid scientific evidence adequately demonstrates the absence of 
unreasonable risk of illness or injury associated with the use of the device for its intended 
uses and conditions of use (21 CFR 860.7(d)(1)).  Moreover, a reasonable assurance of 
effectiveness occurs when it can be determined, based upon valid scientific evidence, that in 
a significant portion of the target population, the use of the device for its intended uses ... 
will provide clinically significant results (21 CFR 860.7(e)(1)).  The evidence used to 
determine the effectiveness of a device is demonstrated principally through well-controlled 
investigations (see 21 CFR 860.7(e)(2), as defined in 21 CFR 860.7(f)).   
 
FDAs Evaluation of HDE Applications. An HDE application is similar to a PMA, but is 
exempt from the effectiveness requirements of sections 514 and 515 of the FD&C Act (21 
U.S.C. 360d and 360e).  FDA approval of an HDE application authorizes an applicant to 
market a Humanitarian Use Device (HUD), a device intended to benefit patients in the 
treatment or diagnosis of diseases or conditions that affect fewer than 4,000 individuals, 
subject to certain profit and use restrictions set forth in section 520(m) of the FD&C Act (21 
U.S.C. 360j(m)).  To approve a HUD under the HDE pathway, FDA must determine, among 
other things, that the device will not expose patients to an unreasonable or significant risk of 
illness or injury and the probable benefit to health from the use of the device outweighs the 
risk of injury or illness from its use, taking into account the probable risks and benefits of 
currently available devices or alternative forms of treatment (section 520(m) of the FD&C 
Act (21 U.S.C. 360j(m)).    
 
FDAs Evaluation of De Novo Requests.  Section 513(f)(2)(A)(ii) of the FD&C Act (21 
U.S.C. 360c(f)(2)(A)(ii)), modified by section 607 of FDASIA, provides a regulatory 
pathway whereby if sponsors believe their devices are appropriate for classification into class 
I or class II and there is no legally marketed predicate device for their new device, they may 
submit a de novo request for FDA to make a risk-based classification.  FDA also will review 
                                                           
17 See Footnote 1. 
  10  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
devices under the de novo pathway if it has determined the device is not substantially 
equivalent due to a (1) lack of an identifiable predicate device, (2) new intended use or (3) 
different technological characteristics that raise different questions of safety and 
effectiveness (see section 513(f)(2)(A)(i) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 360c(f)(2)(A)(i))).   
 
As noted in the Benefit-Risk Guidance, because devices classified under this pathway (de 
novo devices) are low to moderate risk devices, they may not need to confer as substantial 
benefit to patients in order to have a favorable benefit-risk profile.  As such, FDA has said 
that [d]evices granted marketing authority under de novo petitions should be sufficiently 
understood to explain all the risks and benefits of the device such that all risks can be 
appropriately mitigated through the application of general and/or special controls to provide 
reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness.  Further, devices classified under de novo 
petitions may serve as predicates for future devices which can be appropriately regulated 
through the 510(k) program; therefore, FDA carefully considers the benefit-risk profile of 
these devices in the determination that there is reasonable assurance of safety and 
effectiveness.18 
 
IV.  Recommended Qualities of Patient Preference Studies 
 
The Agency considers valid scientific evidence, whether it be PPI or any clinical/nonclinical 
information, in support of a regulatory submission. For quantitative patient preference studies 
in particular, the Agency considers the study qualities outlined in this section19, among other 
things, when deciding whether a given quantitative dataset of PPI constitutes valid scientific 
evidence.20,21,22,23   
 
a)  Patient Centeredness: Patient preference studies should ensure that the patient, not 
the healthcare professional, is the central focus of the study.  The study should aim to 
measure preferences and perspectives on benefits and risks of well-informed patients.  
This could also include evaluating care-partner or healthcare professional preferences 
in appropriate situations. 
 
b)  Representativeness of the Sample and Generalizability of Results: A study should 
measure the preferences of a representative sample of adequate size so that the study 
results can be reasonably generalized to the population of interest.   
 
                                                           
18 See Footnote 1.  
19 These study qualities are based on the literature on good research practices in patient preference studies, and 
are informed by the Medical Device Innovation Consortium Patient-Centered Benefit-Risk Assessment 
Framework Report and Catalog of Methods. See Footnote 7. 
20 See Footnote 7. 
21 F.R. Johnson, et al., Quantifying Patient Preferences to Inform Benefit-Risk Evaluations in Benefit-Risk 
Assessment in Pharmaceutical Research and Development, CRC Press (2013). 
22 F. Mussen, et al., Benefit-Risk Appraisal of Medicines, John Wiley & Sons Ltd (2009).  
23 See Footnote 11. 
  11  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
In cases in which detecting differences in preferences between pre-specified 
subgroups may be important, the sample should include sufficient numbers in each 
subgroup and the subgroups should be clinically well-defined.   
  
Another important factor to consider is how similar the sample of interest is to the 
population of interest.  The representativeness of a sample may be influenced by its 
size, the between-subject variability, and how subjects were sampled from the 
population of interest.  For example, if subject variability in the population of interest 
is large but a study sample size is small, the study result may not be representative of 
the population of interest because it may not include the whole spectrum of patient 
preferences.  Moreover, when a sample is very small, the estimates of patient 
preference parameters may not be sufficiently precise and the study conclusion may 
not be reliable. 
 
c)  Capturing Heterogeneity of Patients Preferences: Patients benefit-risk tradeoff 
preferences may be heterogeneous even among those with the same disease or 
condition.  Individual circumstances of patients vary.  Besides sex, gender, age, race, 
ethnicity, socioeconomic, cultural background, and other life circumstances, a 
patients own experience of his/her disease may influence the patients personal 
tolerance for risk. As mentioned in the Benefit-Risk Guidance, patient views may be 
influenced by the severity of the disease or condition, disease chronicity, or 
availability or lack of alternative options. It is important to account for these 
variations when considering PPI.  This variability may be population-, condition-, 
treatment-, and study- specific. Therefore, patient preference studies should reflect 
the preferences of patients from the full spectrum of disease for which the device is 
intended to be used.   
 
While some study methods can account for preference heterogeneity with sufficient 
sample size, not all methods can effectively identify and quantify preference 
heterogeneity.  PPI may help identify a subgroup of patients (e.g., patients with 
higher pain and functional limitation) who may consider the benefit-risk profile of a 
medical intervention favorable, and FDA can take this information into account in its 
benefit-risk determinations. These quantitative methods may help the Agency identify 
this subgroup and estimate its relative size with respect to the overall surveyed patient 
population.   
 
d)  Established Good Research Practices by Recognized Professional Organizations: 
The quality of a study may be established if it follows guidelines for good research 
practices established by a recognized professional organization.  For example, the 
International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) 
published a set of good research practices for preference-based methods.24, 25, 26  
                                                           
24 J.F.P. Bridges, et al., Conjoint analysis applications in healtha checklist: a report of the ISPOR Good 
Research Practices for Conjoint Analysis Task Force, Value in Health, 403-13 (2011).    
25 F.R. Johnson, et al., Constructing experimental designs for discrete-choice experiments: Report of the 
ISPOR conjoint analysis experimental design good research practices task force, Value in Health, 3-13 (2013). 
  12  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
Newer methods may also be acceptable, and FDA intends to consider these on a case-
by-case basis. 
 
e)  Effective Communication of Benefit, Harm27, Risk, and Uncertainty: Health 
numeracy means the ability to understand and use numbers in making health-related 
decisions.  Given the varying levels of numeracy in the general population, it is 
important for patient preference studies to define the context of the benefit-risk 
tradeoffs, explain the level of effectiveness and the severity of treatment-related 
harms, and help patients conceptualize probabilities using appropriate numeric, 
verbal, and graphic representations of uncertainty.   
 
In a typical patient preference study, a patient may be asked to consider various 
combinations of health outcomes and to indicate which combination is preferred and 
by how much.  The patient should understand and cognitively process these health 
outcomes, and the benefits, harms, risks, and uncertainties associated with them.  
Communicating the quantitative aspects of health information has been widely 
recognized as a challenge.28, 29  Examples of formats used to communicate numerical 
values include:  
 
  natural frequency (e.g., 20 in 1000), percent (e.g., 2%); 
  solely verbal (e.g., high, low); 
  verbal frequency (e.g., twenty out of one thousand); 
  pictograph/graphical icon array (e.g., a 10 by 10 array of 100 small human-shaped 
icons, all in white with 2 in black);  
  relative and absolute risk reduction (if 1000 people have this test every year, 20 
people will be saved from dying from this illness every 5 years); and  
  numbers needed to treat (e.g., 15 patients need to receive this treatment to avoid 1 
additional death in 5 years). 
 
While no single format is universally superior to other formats, some general 
practices are supported by scientific evidence to reduce the uncertainty caused by 
health numeracy.30  For example, we recommend the following: 
 
                                                                                                                                                                                    
26 A.B. Huber, J. Gonzalez, C.G.M. Groothuis-Oudshoorn, T. Prior, D.A. Marshall, C. Cunningham, M.J. 
IJzerman, J.F.P. Bridges, Statistical Methods for the Analysis of Discrete Choice Experiments: A Report of the 
ISPOR Conjoint Analysis Good Research Practices Task Force, Value in Health, available online: 
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2016.04.004, (2016). 
27 ISO 14971: 2007  Medical Devices  Application of Risk Management to Medical Devices defines harm 
as physical injury or damage to health of people, or damage to property or the environment.   Risk is defined 
as the combination of the probability of occurrence of harm and the severity of that harm. 
28 B. Fischhoff, et al, Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence Based User's Guide, U.S. Food and 
Drug Administration (2011). 
29 L.M. Schwartz and S. Woloshin, The Drug Facts Box: Improving the communication of prescription drug 
information, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 14069-14074 (2013). 
30 See Footnote 28. 
  13  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
  Avoid solely verbal descriptions of uncertainty.  Patients may interpret what 
low and high risks are differently.  
  Avoid fractions, decimals, and different denominators when presenting risks of 
multiple treatments.  These are relatively difficult for cognitive processing. 
  If possible, describe the benefits and risks in absolute scales instead of relative 
terms, which better inform the actual benefits and risks. 
  If possible, use multiple formats simultaneously (e.g., verbal frequency, percent, 
and icon array/pictograph).  Relative understanding of these formats varies from 
patient to patient.  Moreover, one format may make the other formats easier to 
understand. 
  If possible, describe uncertainty in both positive and negative frames (e.g., 20% 
chance of adverse events or 80% chance of no adverse events) to avoid cognitive 
bias. 
  Pretest the communication format.  Since patient populations vary, pre-testing the 
chosen format can improve the comprehension of the format by the study 
population of interest. 
 
f)  Minimal Cognitive Bias: Study design should minimize potential cognitive biases 
such as framing (e.g., describing changes as gains or losses), anchoring (e.g., 
signaling a reference value), simplifying heuristics (e.g., recoding numerical values or 
percentages as low, medium, and high), or ordering effect (e.g., the response to a 
question depending on its relative position in the question sequence).  For example, 
study subjects were asked to imagine they were lung cancer patients and choose 
between different treatments, such as surgery and radiation, based on cumulative 
probabilities and life-expectancy data.  More individuals chose surgery when they 
were told that it had a 90% survival rate than when they were told that the surgery 
had a 10% mortality rate.31 
 
g)  Logical Soundness: The data should include internal-validity tests of logic and 
consistency and should be verified for conformity with logic and consistency. 
 
h)  Relevance: Critical aspects of harm, risk, benefit, and uncertainty should be included 
in the elicitation of preferences, and omission of any should be well justified.  Often it 
is most useful to ensure some consistency among the benefits, harms, risks and other 
attributes evaluated in a preference study, and the endpoints and other outcome data 
collected in the clinical study. Preferences should be measured over relevant clinical 
domains to be useful in evaluating available evidence. The relevance of specific 
endpoints to potential clinical outcomes should be clearly communicated to patients 
to properly elicit preference.  For example, if clinical endpoints take the form of 
surrogate biomarkers (e.g., Hemoglobin A1c for diabetic patients) the study should 
help patients understand how changes in the biomarkers may correspond with the 
likelihood of more serious outcomes. 
                                                           
31 McNeil BJ, Pauker SG, Sox HC, Jr., Tversky A. On the elicitation of preferences for alternative therapies, 
New England Journal of Medicine. 1259-1262 (1982). 
  14  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
 
i)  Robustness of Analysis of Results: After measurements are made in a scientific 
study, an analysis of these results should ensure appropriate interpretation of the 
collected evidence.  Quantitative analyses often involve development of statistical 
models, which in turn provide estimates of the parameters of interest.  It is important 
that the sources of uncertainty are well understood because decisions may be made 
based on these estimates.  The uncertainty of an estimate can be reported through a 
confidence interval and standard error.  Sensitivity analysis is an effective method to 
determine the value of the parameter that would change the final decision.32  For 
example, if the parameter does not affect the final decision regardless of its value, 
then its uncertainty may not be important to the overall analysis. 
 
j)  Study Conduct: The validity and reliability of study results depends in large part on 
compliance of research staff and study participants with the study protocol.  A patient 
preference study should be administered by trained research staff.  If the preference 
study is self-administered by patients, they should go through a tutorial and a quiz 
before answering questions, to help to ensure adequate comprehension and 
compliance with the study protocol.  The quiz results should be documented as 
supportive evidence of patients being properly informed of the benefits, harms, and 
uncertainty presented in the study questions, and of comprehension by study 
participants. 
 
k)  Comprehension by Study Participants:  Efforts should be made to ensure that study 
participants fully understand the harm, risk, benefit, uncertainty and other medical 
information being communicated to them.  For example, if a survey instruments 
presumed reading level of the target patient population is not appropriate, some 
respondents may not understand a question.  In this case, the respondents may 
mentally turn the question at hand into an easier but different question to answer, 
which would render an invalid measurement. 
 
Example: CDRH Patient Preferences of Weight Loss Devices Study 
 
A patient preferences study sponsored by CDRH followed many of the recommendations 
listed in this section.33  The sample included more than 500 patients drawn from an online 
panel that was designed to represent a cross section of the U.S. population. The study sample 
had similar demographic characteristics to those of obese patients in the U.S. population. The 
sample size was planned to capture a wide spectrum of patient preferences and provided 
better representativeness of the U.S. obese population than anecdotal remarks or small focus 
group studies.  The study was designed to measure quantitative patient preference 
heterogeneity and conduct preference segmentation.  
                                                           
32 A.H. Briggs, et al., Model Parameter Estimation and Uncertainty Analysis A Report of the ISPOR-SMDM 
Modeling Good Research Practices Task Force Working Group6, Medical Decision Making, 722-732 (2012). 
33 M. Ho, M. Gonzalez, H. Lerner, C. Neuland, J. Whang, M. McMurry-Heath, A. Hauber, and T. Irony. 
"Incorporating patient-preference evidence into regulatory decision making," Surgical endoscopy, 29(10): 2984-
2993 (2015). 
  15  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
 
The studys stratified sampling by Body Mass Index (BMI) ensured that estimates were 
precise across the whole BMI range of interest.  Moreover, the study used a preference 
elicitation method that not only allowed investigators to identify and divide patients into 
different segments by patients risk-tolerance level but also provided the estimated 
percentage of patients that would prefer receiving the device to the status quo. 
 
Design, conduct, and analysis of the study followed good research practices endorsed by a 
recognized professional organization (ISPOR).  Research conducted at the study design stage 
and during the face-to-face interviews with patients helped ensure that the survey instrument 
was patient-centered, the communication of benefits, harms, risks and uncertainty was clear, 
and the format of the questions would keep potential cognitive bias to a minimum.  Rigorous 
internal validation tests were conducted to make sure the data quality was sufficiently high.  
The benefits (weight loss amount and duration, improvement in comorbidities), risks 
(mortality, adverse events, and hospitalization), and key attributes (type of surgery, diet 
restrictions) of the device were carefully defined so that the tradeoff among the benefits and 
risks would be comprehensible to patients, healthcare professionals, and the Agency. 
 
The study showed that a substantial portion of obese patients would accept the risks 
associated with a surgically implanted device if they lost a sufficient number of pounds.  The 
data generated from this study could also be used to inform clinical trial design, to estimate 
the tradeoffs in risks that obese patients are willing to accept in exchange for a certain 
amount of weight loss, or the minimum number of pounds they would have to lose to tolerate 
the risks of a weight loss device.   
 
Studies like this may provide information on the relative importance of certain device 
attributes to patients as well as how benefits and risks are weighted, enabling more patient-
centric decision making and potentially informing the design and analysis of clinical trials. 
 
V.  Additional Regulatory Considerations  
 
The discussion below addresses additional regulatory considerations regarding PPI.  
 
5.1   Maintaining the Integrity of Patient Preference Information 
 
As with other data submitted for premarket review, efforts should be made to ensure that data 
integrity and validity are maintained. Further, applicable regulations, including the IDE 
regulation in 21 CFR Part 812, must be followed. For patient preference studies conducted 
independent from a device clinical study, FDA generally considers the studies to be 
nonsignificant risk.34  If PPI is collected as part of a device clinical investigation, 
                                                           
34 See FDAs Guidance for IRBs, Clinical Investigators, and Sponsors: IRB Responsibilities for Reviewing the 
Qualifications of Investigators, Adequacy of Research Sites, and the Determination of Whether an IND/IDE is 
Needed, issued August 2013 
(http://www.fda.gov/downloads/RegulatoryInformation/Guidances/UCM328855.pdf). 
  16  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
participating investigators of IDEs are responsible for maintaining accurate, complete, and 
current records of each subject's case history and exposure to the device.  See 21 CFR 
812.140(a)(3).  Such case histories may include patient diaries, assessments, electronic 
patient diaries, and other electronic patient-reported outcome tools (ePRO).35  
 
The Agency also considers PPI from outside the U.S. if the data is valid scientific evidence, 
reliable, and applicable to the intended patient populations within the U.S.36 and otherwise 
sufficient. 
 
5.2   Conditions of Approval 
 
FDA may impose conditions of approval in certain PMA approvals, including where the 
Agency takes PPI into account. These conditions of approval may help to mitigate risk and 
facilitate use in patients for whom benefits are expected to outweigh risks.   
 
In some cases where FDA determines a product has reasonable assurances of safety and 
effectiveness in a subset of patients (e.g., based on disease severity) but the device may pose 
serious or life-threatening risks, FDA may determine that conditions of approval are 
warranted.  Patient preference studies may help sponsors and FDA identify a subset of 
patients for whom the benefits outweigh the risks, and the approval would not be for the 
general population but instead would be limited to the population where FDA determines the 
benefits outweigh the risks. Certain conditions of approval37, such as a shared decision 
making tool38,39 or specialized patient labeling40, may be appropriate to mitigate risk and 
facilitate use in patients for whom benefits are expected to outweigh risks.  
 
As with other PMA approvals, HDE application approvals, or de novo classifications for 
certain devices, FDA may require the collection of postmarket evidence through a post-
approval surveillance study or 522 study.41      
                                                           
35 Further information on the use of ePROs and the role of both the sponsor and the clinical investigator in 
collecting and maintaining ePROs can be found in the document referenced in Footnote 14. 
36 For the requirements relating to FDA acceptance of studies conducted outside the U.S. and submitted in 
support of a PMA, see 21 CFR 814.15. 
37 See 21 CFR 814.82.  
38 Toward Minimum Standards for Certifying Patient Decision Aids: A Modified Delphi Consensus Process. 
Joseph-Williams N, Newcombe R, Politi M, Durand MA, Sivell S, Stacey D, O'Connor A, Volk RJ, Edwards 
A, Bennett C, Pignone M, Thomson R, Elwyn G. Med Decis Making. 2013 Aug 20;34(6):699-710 (2013). 
39 Assessing the quality of decision support technologies using the International Patient Decision Aid Standards 
instrument (IPDASi). Elwyn G, O'Connor AM, Bennett C, Newcombe RG, Politi M, Durand MA, Drake E, 
Joseph-Williams N, Khangura S, Saarimaki A, Sivell S, Stiel M, Bernstein SJ, Col N, Coulter A, Eden K, 
Harter M, Rovner MH, Moumjid N, Stacey D, Thomson R, Whelan T, van der Weijden T, Edwards A. PLoS 
One. 2009;4(3):e4705. 
40 For example, in a previous PMA approval, specialized patient labeling was required. See the FDA PMA 
database for more information on this device: 
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfpma/pma.cfm?id=P050034. 
41 A 522 study refers to a post-approval study authorized by section 522 of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 360l), 
which gives FDA the authority to require a manufacturer to conduct postmarket study of a class II or III device 
that meets certain criteria.  For more information, see FDAs Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug 
 
  17  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
 
VI.  Submission of Patient Preference Information  
 
The Agency encourages sponsors and other stakeholders to have early interactions with the 
relevant review division if considering collecting and submitting to FDA PPI. 
 
PPI may be submitted to FDA through a variety of pathways. Sponsors and stakeholders 
interested in designing a patient preference study or submitting a patient preference study to 
the Agency may request an informational pre-submission meeting.42 Sponsors may provide 
PPI as a part of their PMA, HDE application, or de novo request submission as supporting 
evidence, for example, that the probable benefits of a device outweigh probable risks.  Other 
stakeholders (e.g., academia or patient groups) may consider sharing PPI with FDA for 
informational purposes.  The Agency may also consider obtaining its own PPI to further 
understand the benefit-risk factors affecting patients with diseases or conditions who may be 
considering using a specific device type. 
 
FDA expects the specificity of the data to differ based on the scope of the study conducted.  
For example, the studies may differ in the following ways: 
 
  premarket submission/device-specific study submitted to FDA, 
  disease/condition or device type study submitted to FDA, 
  premarket submission/device-specific study published in literature, or 
  disease/condition or device type study published in literature. 
 
An additional pathway to get input from the Agency about the tools and instruments created 
to measure PPI is through the Medical Device Development Tool (MDDT) qualification 
process.43  
 
VII. Inclusion of Patient Preference Information in 
Decision Summaries and Device Labeling  
 
FDA typically provides a public decision summary when it approves a PMA, approves an 
HDE application, or grants a de novo request.44  These summaries generally include clinical 
                                                                                                                                                                                    
Administration Staff; Postmarket Surveillance Under Section 522 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act 
issued on May 16, 2016  
(http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance/GuidanceDocuments/ucm268064.htm).   
42 See FDAs Requests for Feedback on Medical Device Submissions: The Pre-Submission Program and 
Meetings with Food and Drug Administration Staff, issued on February 18, 2014 
(http://www.fda.gov/downloads/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance/GuidanceDocuments/UCM31
1176.pdf). 
43 MDDTs are scientifically validated tools created to support device development and regulatory evaluation.  
Qualification reflects CDRHs expectation that within a specified context of use, the results of an assessment 
that uses an MDDT can be relied upon to support device development and decision making.  See FDAs 
MMDT website: 
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ScienceandResearch/MedicalDeviceDevelopmentToolsMDDT/default.htm   
  18  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
study summaries and other evidence considered in FDAs regulatory evaluation.  When FDA 
considers patient preference studies in its consideration of a premarket submission, such 
studies generally are included in the decision summary.  Inclusion of PPI in FDAs public 
decision summaries can be helpful to healthcare professionals and patients in making 
healthcare decisions involving difficult benefit-risk tradeoffs or novel treatments.   
 
Additionally, PPI that is reviewed by FDA and supports FDAs approval or marketing 
authorization should also be described in the device labeling.  It is important for the device 
product labeling to contain sufficient information about the benefits and risks of the 
treatment and diagnostic options under consideration.   
 
As with all product labeling, and particularly when there is a complex benefit-risk tradeoff, it 
is important to communicate the benefit-risk information to patients, care-partners, and 
healthcare professionals as they make treatment decisions.  Labeling must be consistent with 
the applicable requirements in 21 CFR Parts 801 and 809.45  For additional information on 
developing labeling, consult FDA Guidance: Labeling - Regulatory Requirements for 
Medical Devices (FDA 89-4203).   
 
Generally, labeling should be written in plain language so that patients are able to understand 
the information presented and form realistic expectations of the treatment and its potential 
risks.46  The patient labeling should use terminology and numerical data in a way that is 
easily recognized and understood by the average layperson.  When appropriate, visual 
language, such as pictorials, graphics, or tables, should be included as an adjunct to the 
written word.  In addition, the labeling should include a clear indication of the population for 
whom the device is appropriate. 
 
The patient labeling should generally contain information that may assist patients in 
understanding: 
 
  the potential benefits from use of the device, and the likelihoods of such benefits, 
  the potential risks or complications from use of the device, and the likelihoods of 
such risks,  
  any relevant contraindications, warnings, and precautions, 
  any additional information about what is known and not known about patient 
outcomes (e.g., long-term outcomes, rare complications).   
 
                                                                                                                                                                                    
44 See, e.g., 21 CFR 814.44 and 814.116. FDA currently posts decision summaries for PMAs, HDE 
applications, and de novo classifications on its website. 
(http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/OfficeofMedicalProductsandTobacco/CDRH/default.htm). 
45 All labeling must comply with the FD&C Act and applicable FDA regulations. See 21 CFR Parts 801 and 
809. The labeling recommendations in this guidance are consistent with the requirements of Parts 801 and 809. 
46 Sponsors may refer to the general format and principles discussed in FDAs Guidance on Medical Device 
Patient Labeling when constructing patient labels.  See FDAs Guidance on Medical Device Patient Labeling; 
Guidance for Industry and FDA Reviewers, issued on April 19, 2001 
(http://www.fda.gov/downloads/MedicalDevices/MedicalDeviceRegulationandGuidance/GuidanceDocuments/
ucm070801.pdf). 
  19  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
When possible, the likelihoods of risks and benefits should be expressed in absolute terms 
rather than relative terms that may be confusing.  For example, doubling a risk means very 
different things if that entails an increase from 10% to 20% rather than an increase from 
0.001% to 0.002%.47,48 
 
VIII.  Hypothetical Examples 
 
The following examples are offered for illustrative purposes only.  The decisions described in 
these examples are not predictive of future FDA decisions, and are intended only to 
demonstrate how FDA might consider PPI when making benefit-risk assessments.  Similar 
scenarios or devices may result in different outcomes depending on the individual 
performance characteristics of a particular device and the population for which it is indicated. 
 
8.1  Probable benefit outweighs probable risk for a subset of patients 
 
A permanently implanted device is intended to treat knee pain and improve knee function.  
The device is studied in a population of patients with knee pain and functional limitation who 
manifest a broad spectrum of disease severity and duration.   
 
The data indicate a smaller than expected improvement in the study population as a whole.  
However, per pre-specified statistical analysis, patients with the highest pain and functional 
limitation may experience more pain reduction and functional improvement than the overall 
study population without any increase in adverse events. According to PPI submitted to 
FDA, the expected benefits among patients with the greatest pain and functional limitations 
exceed the minimum level of benefits that patients in the patient preference study find 
acceptable given expected risks.   
 
FDA may conclude that the probable benefits outweigh the probable risks for patients with 
the highest pain and functional limitation.  Therefore, FDA may approve the device with the 
indication limited to patients with higher pain and functional limitation.  A post-approval 
study to confirm the devices long-term safety and effectiveness in the high pain and 
functional limitation patient population may also be required. 
 
8.2   Patient preference information helps inform FDA reviewer 
considerations 
 
An implanted, resorbable novel device is intended to lessen the depth of facial wrinkles and 
improve age-related facial appearance.  The device is studied to evaluate the improvement in 
appearance over time.   
 
                                                           
47 E. Akl, et al., Using alternative statistical formats for presenting risks and risk reductions, Cochrane 
Database Syst. Rev. (2011). 
48 A. Fagerlin, B.J. Zikmund-Fisher, and P.A. Udel, Helping patients decide: ten steps to better risk 
communication, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 103(19):1436-1443, (2011). 
  20  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
After a single treatment, improvement is noticed by about 75% of patients.  Satisfaction in 
age-related facial appearance drops to about 50% at two years after the initial treatment, with 
reappearance of facial wrinkles over time.  FDA reviewers note that the procedure does not 
result in permanent improvement, and the data suggest that patients may undergo additional 
procedures over time to maintain the aesthetic effect.  Reviewers initially considered that the 
temporary nature of the benefit may not be sufficient to outweigh the risks, particularly given 
that additional adverse effects may occur from repeat procedures over time.  However, PPI 
indicates that a significant subset of patients may prefer a device with temporary effects, 
rather than a permanent durable implant inserted during a single procedure that may become 
aesthetically undesirable over time as the patient ages.   
 
FDA may take the patient preference into account in its determination that the probable 
benefits outweigh the probable risks for this device.  FDA may approve the device with 
appropriate labeling information regarding the limited duration of effect. 
 
8.3   Expected effectiveness but significant risk; risk not outweighed by 
probable benefit 
 
A permanently implanted aesthetic device is intended to improve body appearance.  The 
device is studied in a healthy patient population.   
 
Data from the clinical trial suggest similar body improvement benefit as marketed 
alternatives but faster recovery from the surgical procedure to implant the device.  However, 
a higher rate of meaningful adverse events was observed, including need for reoperation to 
remove and/or replace the device, with typically lesser improvement in body appearance with 
subsequent procedures.  This need for reoperation may be attributable to lower device 
durability.  PPI indicates that some patients place a high value on the appearance 
enhancement the device provides and that some patients would accept the higher level of risk 
observed in the study, in exchange for the benefits.   
 
However, FDA may conclude that the device poses an unreasonable risk of illness or injury 
that can be addressed with design modifications and enhanced quality manufacturing process 
efforts.  Therefore, FDA may decide not to approve the device despite the PPI.  FDA may 
recommend that the sponsor explore design and manufacturing process changes to improve 
the durability of the device, thereby mitigating some of the additional risk and improving the 
benefit-risk profile. 
 
8.4   Increased risk and similar effectiveness in comparison to alternatives 
but clear patient preference for certain device attributes 
 
A permanent, fully implantable device is intended to improve hearing.  The device is studied 
in a patient population with advanced hearing loss.   
 
Data from the clinical trial demonstrate rare but observed surgical risks with the 
implantation, such as facial nerve injury, as well as subsequent device failures requiring 
  21  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
revision/reimplantation.  These risks are not present with conventional, non-implanted 
auditory aids.  The effectiveness data demonstrate similar performance to a conventional air 
conduction hearing aid (which is class I, 510(k) exempt, low risk).  However, PPI clearly 
indicates that there is a sizeable group of patients who, unhappy with the inconvenience and 
poor cosmesis of conventional hearing aids, are willing to accept the greater risks of the 
implanted device despite equivalent effectiveness as non-implanted aids.   
 
FDA may determine, after considering PPI along with other evidence, that the probable 
benefits outweigh the probable risks for this implantable device.  Therefore, FDA may 
determine there is a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness, and may approve the 
device.   
 
8.5   Pediatric HDE Application and Patient/Parent Preferences 
 
A permanently implanted device is intended to treat pediatric patients with heart valve 
dysfunction caused by congenital heart disease.  The clinical impact of congenitally 
deformed valves is significant and often lifelong.  Pediatric valve replacement is a high-risk 
procedure involving high operative mortality, high reoperation rate, and late morbidity 
compared to adult patients undergoing the same operation.  There are no approved/cleared 
comparable devices available for these pediatric patients at the time of HDE application 
consideration.  Most often, the available prosthesis is too large for the childs anatomy, 
resulting in delay in referral for surgery.   
 
The new pediatric device includes smaller prosthesis sizes and is inserted via a surgical 
procedure which has an initial risk of higher operative mortality, but with long term device-
related benefits of improved durability and lower reoperation rate compared to current 
treatment options for these patients.  As stated previously, due to unavailability of 
comparable devices for these pediatric patients, treatment strategy typically entails waiting 
until the child grows big enough for anatomy to accommodate a larger, available prosthesis. 
This information along with evidence from nonclinical testing on the device is shared with 
FDAs Advisory Committee.  Additionally, a patient group submits PPI from a study of 
parents of patients.  The parents of these pediatric patients are typically the primary 
caretakers and healthcare decision makers.  The study shows that a majority of parents 
surveyed prefer the benefit-risk tradeoff of this new device compared to the current treatment 
options, despite the operative safety concerns.    
 
In considering the totality of evidence on the new device and taking into account the benefits 
and risks of current alternative treatment options available, the Advisory Committee and 
FDA may consider the probable benefits of this new device to outweigh the risks.  Therefore, 
FDA may approve this HDE application for this pediatric population. Depending on the 
circumstances, a specialized patient labeling may be a condition of approval to help parents 
understand these tradeoffs and help ensure fully informed decision making.   
  22  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
Appendix A:Incorporating Patient Preference 
 
Information and Other Patient Input into the Total 
Product Lifecycle  
 
In addition to FDAs consideration of PPI during the review of PMAs, HDE applications, 
and de novo requests, FDA and sponsors may use PPI, and other types of patient input 
throughout the total product lifecycle as shown in Figure 1.  For example: 
 
  Nonclinical (Discovery + Ideation, Invention + Prototyping): 
  During the discovery and ideation phase, qualitative patient input on the types 
o
of treatment benefits or device attributes patients might value most may 
inform device design and/or features.  Additionally, patient input may 
influence which devices are developed, such as by defining areas of unmet 
need.  
  During invention and prototyping, patient-sensitive design inputs may help 
o
developers refine device design to better meet patient end-user needs, such as 
through human factors engineering. 
  Clinical: 
  Patient-informed clinical study design may reduce barriers to participation and 
o
affect willingness of participants to enroll and complete a clinical study, such 
as by streamlining visit schedules and follow-up procedures.   
  Qualitative patient input may also inform the design of clinical trials by 
o
helping to identify what endpoints may be of highest importance to patients.   
Patient input may also inform the development or selection of PRO measures. 
  Quantitative PPI may inform the design of clinical trials by providing prior 
o
evidence regarding the level of benefit patients require in order to accept a 
certain level of risk associated with medical device treatments. As exemplified 
in the CDRH Patient Preferences of Weight Loss Devices Study (see Section 
IV), quantitative PPI can be used to help define the minimum clinically 
meaningful benefit, which may have implications for sample size and other 
aspects of clinical trial design. 
  Postmarket: 
  Once the device is marketed, device labeling and shared clinical decision-
o
making tools may be employed to assure that benefit-risk information as well 
as PPI is appropriately communicated to patients and healthcare professionals. 
  23  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
  Once a device is used more widely, ongoing benefit-risk determinations and 
o
patient-directed communications may become an important part of postmarket 
monitoring.   
  As postmarket patient-centered data accumulates, it may lead to new 
o
innovations or inform redesign and improvement of existing devices, or 
expanded indications.  
In a patient-centered product development program, PPI may be considered at various 
decision points throughout the total product lifecycle.  In many cases, this information is best 
considered not as discrete and disconnected, but as a dataset which can be built upon and 
which may be informative to future development stages.  For example, qualitative PPI could 
inform device design or clinical trial design, which could shape future quantitative studies of 
patient preference, which could inform FDA benefit-risk assessments during premarket 
review of PMAs, HDE applications, or de novo requests.
  24  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 1. Patient Input in the Total Product Lifecycle 
 
 
  25  Contains Nonbinding Recommendations 
 
 
In the earliest stages of developmentsometimes referred to as the discovery and ideation 
phaseit may be most useful to obtain patient input using open-ended questions and 
qualitative interactive discussion that may involve methods such as focus groups, social 
media, public meetings, workshops, or an FDA request for comments to the docket.  At this 
early stage, for example, questions might be related to what disease impacts are most 
important to patients and their care-partners and healthcare professionals. The impacts 
explored may include discussion of burden of disease, burden of currently available 
treatment and other aspects of the disease experience (e.g., symptoms or functional impacts 
of the disease).  This input also can provide useful information on the natural history of the 
condition, unmet needs, priorities for disease management, willingness to participate in 
clinical trials, and other broad questions of concern.  
 
The open-ended qualitative patient input gathered early in the  development process can help 
to frame the questions to be pursued in subsequent studies, which may be more focused and 
involve more structured methods and development of more specific quantitative or semi-
quantitative measures.  This can, for example, lead to development of data collection tools 
including Clinical Outcome Assessment (COA) tools such as PRO instruments. These tools 
can be incorporated into clinical trials to enable more direct measurement of the impact of 
the tested therapy on those aspects of disease and treatment identified as being most 
important to patients.  The data obtained from these clinical studies can then be part of the 
study data set that a sponsor submits to FDA in support of their PMA, HDE application, or 
de novo request and can inform the FDA assessment of product benefit and risk in the 
decision phase.49 
 
The open-ended qualitative patient input can also help to identify specific clinical outcomes 
that may represent changes in patients symptoms, functioning, or survival. This information 
can be used to frame questions to be pursued in subsequent use of structured methods to elicit 
PPI. Surveys that elicit patient willingness to accept a specified type and level of expected 
risks, in exchange for a specified type and level of expected benefit, for a particular disease 
condition and sometimes a specified technology can also help to provide insight into the 
patients perspective and thus inform the FDA assessment of product benefit versus risk in 
decision making. 
 
                                                           
49 See Footnote 12. 
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