Pragmatic Kaplan-Meier Analysis — Survival Estimation in Real-World Settings

Pragmatic Kaplan-Meier analysis applies the non-parametric Kaplan-Meier product-limit estimator to time-to-event data collected under real-world or pragmatic conditions — diverse populations, routine clinical care, minimal exclusions, and standard-of-care comparators. Unlike explanatory trials designed to isolate a treatment effect under ideal conditions, pragmatic designs accept real-world heterogeneity, and the resulting survival curves reflect the effectiveness of an intervention as it actually performs in clinical practice.