Minimally clinically important improvement: All non-responders are not really non-responders an illustration from total knee replacement

摘要

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are accepted endpoints in the evaluation of patient treatment. Attention has focused on defining the minimal clinically important improvement/change (MCID) of PROs as a way to identify response to treatment. Importantly, the number needed to treat that is commonly used in similar circumstances is based on the responder rate.Goldsmith et al. introduced the concept of the MCID based on expert clinical opinion in 19931. Subsequently, Jaeschke et al.2 defined the MCID as "...the smallest difference in score in the domain of interest that patients perceive as beneficial and which would mandate, in the absence of troublesome side effects and excessive cost, a change in the patient's management."