[Harmonization of the assessment of outcomes, predictors and costs as well as testing for gender-specific differences in rehabilitation research].

: The scientific program "Rehabilitation Research in Germany" includes as a priority topic the evaluation of the effectiveness of rehabilitation regarding return to work. Controlled intervention studies with randomized allocation to treatment and a minimum follow-up of six to twelve months after rehabilitation are of primary importance. It is also recommended that the studies should include economic aspects and consider gender differences. Another request is harmonization of studies with respect to methods, assessment tools, and implementation to improve the relevance of the studies and to allow for combining the results. The authors respond to this request. They make proposals for harmonizing the assessment of outcomes, predictors, and costs as well as for testing gender differences in intervention studies. The proposals address the rehabilitation research networks and aim to provide a basis of discussion and to initiate the necessary consensus finding between the networks. Proposals include (1) a taxonomy of outcomes and predictors for rehabilitation and recommendations for generic assessment tools which allow for data-pooling of studies; (2) a concept for the pre-post and follow-up measurement and recommendations concerning the time interval on which evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of rehabilitation or treatment modalities should be based; (3) descriptions of the content and interpretation of the self assessment instruments which are recommended for cross study comparisons; (4) a procedure to assess the direct and indirect costs, i.e. costs of treatments and costs of disease consequences, which considers especially the assessment of rehabilitative services and their monetary evaluation; (5) provisions for ensuring representativeness of women in intervention studies and procedures for testing differences in treatment outcomes between women and men; (6) a procedure to reach harmonization by establishing a coordination committee including representatives of the research networks, and by using well-established methods such as consensus conferences.