Results Although highlighting a general lack of high- quality real-life effectiveness observational research on these clinical ly important topics , the analysis provided insights into how identified observational studies might inform asthma guidelines developers and clinicians .
Overall , RELEVANT appeared reliable and easy to use by expert review ers .
Conclusions Using such quality appraisal tools is m and atory to assess whether specific observational real-life effectiveness studies can be used to inform guideline development and /or decision-making in clinical practice
Abstract Introduction A Task Force was commissioned jointly by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology ( EAACI ) and the Respiratory Effectiveness Group ( REG ) to develop a  quality assessment tool for real-life observational research to identify high- quality real-life asthma studies that could be considered within future guideline development .
Quality standards for real-world research. Focus on observational database studies of comparative effectiveness.
Real-world research can use observational or clinical trial design s , in both cases putting emphasis on high external validity , to complement the classical efficacy r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) with high internal validity . Real-world research is made necessary by the variety of factors that can play an important a role in modulating effectiveness in real life but are often tightly controlled in RCTs , such as comorbidities and concomitant treatments , adherence , inhalation technique , access to care , strength of doctor-caregiver communication , and socio-economic and other organizational factors . Real-world studies belong to two main categories : pragmatic trials and observational studies , which can be prospect i ve or retrospective . Focusing on comparative data base observational studies , the process aim ed at ensuring high- quality research can be divided into three parts : preparation of research , analyses and reporting , and discussion of results . Key points include a priori planning of data collection and analyses , identification of appropriate data base(s ) , proper outcomes definition , study registration with commitment to publish , bias minimization through matching and adjustment processes accounting for potential confounders , and sensitivity analyses testing the robustness of results . When these conditions are met , observational data base studies can reach a sufficient level of evidence to help create guidelines ( i.e. , clinical and regulatory decision-making )
Results Although highlighting a general lack of high- quality real-life effectiveness observational research on these clinical ly important topics , the analysis provided insights into how identified observational studies might inform asthma guidelines developers and clinicians .
Overall , RELEVANT appeared reliable and easy to use by expert review ers .
Conclusions Using such quality appraisal tools is m and atory to assess whether specific observational real-life effectiveness studies can be used to inform guideline development and /or decision-making in clinical practice
Abstract Introduction A Task Force was commissioned jointly by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology ( EAACI ) and the Respiratory Effectiveness Group ( REG ) to develop a  quality assessment tool for real-life observational research to identify high- quality real-life asthma studies that could be considered within future guideline development .