Comparative Effectiveness: A type of health care research that compares the results of one approach for managing a disease to the results of other approaches. Comparative effectiveness usually compares two or more types of treatment, such as different drugs, for the same disease. Comparative effectiveness also can compare types of surgery or other kinds of medical procedures and tests. The results often are summarized in a systematic review.

About the Scientific Resource Center

The Scientific Resource Center (SRC) supports the activities of the Effective Health Care Program in a variety of ways, including:

Scientific and technical support to protect scientific credibility and independence of Effective Health Care Program products;
Coordinating peer review for comparative effectiveness reviews and other products;
Supporting of the work of reviews and other research projects by supplying trusted methods for conducting the research itself and by maintaining the Methods Guide for Conducting Comparative Effectiveness Reviews;
Technical support for topic nomination development and selection processes.

The Scientific Resource Center is located at the Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center and is directed by Mark Helfand, M.D., M.P.H.