Background
R for Health Preference Research (R4HPR) is an edited repository of educational materials and code in the R programming language for anyone interested in the health preference research (HPR). Our mission is
to actively promote the transfer of knowledge, evidence, and technologies regarding the use, analysis, and interpretation of health preference research.
To pursue our mission, R4HPR collects, curates, and disseminates educational materials within the HPR community. A typical submission is based on an R Markdown (RMD) file containing plain text and chunks of R code and created using RStudio, an open-source Integrated Development Environment for R. When rendered, the RMD files transform into webpage for the repository (i.e., html file). These pages may also contain links to datasets, videos, or other educational materials.
Through the transfer of knowledge, evidence and technologies, R4HPR was constructed to aid those interested in the design, analysis, and interpretation of a health preference study, i.e., “any investigation dedicated to understanding the value of health and health-related alternatives using observational or experimental methods.” (Craig, Benjamin M., et al. «
Health preference research: an overview.» The Patient-Patient-Centered Outcomes Research 10.4 (2017): 507-510.)
Roles
Benjamin M. Craig and
Catharina (Karin) G. M. Groothuis-Oudshoorn serve as the founding editors of R4HPR. Like a peer-reviewed journal, contributors submit their materials and R code to the editors for an expedited review. Once approved by both editors, the code is owned by R4HPR (as documented by a signed authorship form) and published online. Datasets and other instructional materials may also be contributed and posted. Once posted, the users of R4HPR will be able to access, use, and cite the materials freely.
Lexicon
Proposed in
September 2021, the initial version (R4HPR v1) was constructed by Benjamin M. Craig (co-editor) and Samuel Guzmán González, SAPIENS Transformación digital, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain between September 2021 and March 2022. This initial version had four primary capabilities (email, forms, website, and forum) and was built upon prior collaborations with Juan Manuel Ramos Goñi, Maths in Health, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. R4HPR v1 was officially launched in
March 2022.
Over the coming months, the co-editors (Benjamin and Karin) will develop its content and protocols to facilitate its operation and maintenance. After this development period, they will announce an updated version (R4HPR v1.1) and invite contributors and sponsors to participate in its activities. Until then, members of the HPR community are welcome to visit the site and monitor its progress.