ArticleAnnals of Indian Academy of Neurology
Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID) in Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Neurological Conditions: Review of Concept and Methods.
Article in Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Different doses of vitamin A supplementation as adjuvant treatment for pneumonia in children: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness and safety of intense pulsed light therapy for dry eye symptoms due to meibomian gland dysfunction-A systematic review and meta-analysis.Acta ophthalmologica · 2025Pooled it
- Once-Nightly Sodium Oxybate Meets American Academy of Sleep Medicine Criteria for Treatment of Narcolepsy.Journal of sleep research · 2026Trial
- Essential Tremor Suppression with a Novel Anti-Tremor Orthosis: A Randomized Crossover Trial.Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society · 2025Trial
- Establishing the minimum clinically important difference of the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire.Epilepsia · 2024Trial
- Implementation of electronic patient-reported outcome measures in hemodialysis: Findings from a matched cohort study.The journal of vascular access · 2026Article
- Article
- Minimally Clinically Important Difference of the Clinical Assessment Scale in Autoimmune Encephalitis.Annals of clinical and translational neurology · 2026Article
- Bayesian sample size determination using robust commensurate priors with interpretable discrepancy weights.Statistical methods in medical research · 2026Article
- Estimating the minimal clinically important difference for the Myasthenia Gravis Quality of Life revised scale (MG-QOL15R).Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Defining score interpretation thresholds for clinical outcome assessments: a review of terminology and reporting recommendations.Journal of patient-reported outcomes · 2025Review
- The importance of patient-reported outcomes: A call for their integration in the routine care of patients with multiple sclerosis.Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England) · 2025Review
- Reply.Turkish journal of ophthalmology · 2025Article
- Letter to the Editor Re: "Comparison of 20% Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma Versus Conventional Treatment in Moderate to Severe Dry Eye Patients".Turkish journal of ophthalmology · 2025Article
- The Effects of Massage Therapy on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Report.International journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork · 2025Article
- Combined Efficacy of Foot Reflexology and Back Massage on Pain and Fatigue in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis.International journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork · 2025Article
- Enhancing Hand Sensorimotor Function in Individuals with Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: A Novel Tactile Discrimination Feedback Approach Using a Multiple-Baseline Design.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Beyond statistical significance: Embracing minimal clinically important difference for better patient care.World journal of methodology · 2025Review
- Blood pressure management in reperfused ischemic stroke.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Article
- The effectiveness of mHealth mindfulness interventions on perinatal psychological health: a systematic review.Oxford open digital health · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The concept of the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) emerged from the recognition that statistical significance alone is not enough to determine the clinical relevance of treatment effects in clinical research. In many cases, statistically significant changes in outcomes may not be meaningful to patients or may not result in any tangible improvements in their health. This has led to a growing emphasis on the importance of measuring patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in clinical trials and other research studies, in order to capture the patient perspective on treatment effectiveness. MCID is defined as the smallest change in scores that is considered meaningful or important to patients. MCID is particularly important in fields such as neurology, where many of the outcomes of interest are subjective or based on patient-reported symptoms. This review discusses the challenges associated with interpreting outcomes of clinical trials based solely on statistical significance, highlighting the importance of considering clinical relevance and patient perception of change. There are two main approaches to estimating MCID: anchor-based and distribution-based. Anchor-based approaches compare change scores using an external anchor, while distribution-based approaches estimate MCID values based on statistical characteristics of scores within a sample. MCID is dynamic and context-specific, and there is no single 'gold standard' method for estimating it. A range of MCID thresholds should be defined using multiple methods for a disease under targeted intervention, rather than relying on a single absolute value. The use of MCID thresholds can be an important tool for researchers, neurophysicians and patients in evaluating the effectiveness of treatments and interventions, and in making informed decisions about care.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.