A Structured Process to Identify Fit-for-Purpose Study Design and Data to Generate Valid and Transparent Real-World Evidence for Regulatory Uses

Generating evidence from real-world data (RWD) requires fit-for-purpose study design and data. In addition to validity, decision makers require transparency in the reasoning that underlies study design and data source decisions. The 2019 Structured Preapproval and Postapproval Comparative Study Design Framework to Generate Valid and Transparent Real-World Evidence (SPACE) and the 2021 Structured Process to Identify Fit-For-Purpose Data (SPIFD)—intended to be used together—provide a step-by-step guide to identify decision grade, fit-for-purpose study design, and data.

In this update (referred to as “SPIFD2” to encompass both the design and data aspects), we provide an update to these frameworks that:

• Combines the templates into one
• More explicitly calls for articulation of the hypothetical target trial and sources of bias that may arise in the real-world emulation
• Provides explicit references to the Structured Template and Reporting Tool for Real-World Evidence (STaRT-RWE) tables that we suggest using immediately after invoking the SPIFD2 framework

Following the steps recommended in the SPIFD2 process requires due diligence on the part of the researcher to ensure that every aspect of study design and data selection is rationalized and supported by evidence. The resulting stepwise documentation enables reproducibility and clear communication with decision makers, and it increases the likelihood that the evidence generated is valid, fit-for-purpose, and sufficient to support healthcare and regulatory decisions.

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