Eleanor Perfetto, PhD, MS, Describes the Importance of Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) and the CER Collaborative Initiative

Eleanor Perfetto, PhD, MS, professor, pharmaceutical health services research, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, says that incorporating comparative effectiveness research (CER) into pharmacy curriculums is important for the next generation of pharmacists.

Understanding comparative effectiveness is essential for literature competency and evaluating research studies. A rigorous program, such as the one offered at the University of Maryland, will help students avoid learning “on the fly” as practitioners, and help them make evidence-based decisions.

Dr Perfetto also discusses the CER Collaborative Initiative. The group is comprised of researchers from 3 organizations including the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, and the National Pharmaceutical Council. The tools and resources they develop help practitioners to appropriately utilize evidence-based research from studies like those that appear in AJMC.