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Li KD, Venishetty N, Fernandez AM, Hakam N, Ghaffar U, Gupta S, Patel HV, Breyer BN. Fragility of overactive bladder medication clinical trials: A systematic review. Neurourol Urodyn 2024. [PMID: 38594889 DOI: 10.1002/nau.25468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome significantly impairs quality of life, often necessitating pharmacological interventions with associated risks. The fragility of OAB trial outcomes, as measured by the fragility index (FI: smallest number of event changes to reverse statistical significance) and quotient (FQ: FI divided by total sample size expressed as a percentage), is critical yet unstudied. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a systematic search for randomized controlled trials on OAB medications published between January 2000 and August 2023. Inclusion criteria were trials with two parallel arms reporting binary outcomes related to OAB medications. We extracted trial details, outcomes, and statistical tests employed. We calculated FI and FQ, analyzing associations with trial characteristics through linear regression. RESULTS We included 57 trials with a median sample size of 211 participants and a 12% median lost to follow-up. Most studies investigated anticholinergics (37/57, 65%). The median FI/FQ was 5/3.5%. Larger trials were less fragile (median FI 8; FQ 1.0%) compared to medium (FI: 4; FQ 2.5%) and small trials (FI: 4; FQ 8.3%). Double-blinded studies exhibited higher FQs (median 2.9%) than unblinded trials (6.7%). Primary and secondary outcomes had higher FIs (median 5 and 6, respectively) than adverse events (FI: 4). Each increase in 10 participants was associated with a +0.19 increase in FI (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS A change in outcome for a median of five participants, or 3.5% of the total sample size, could reverse the direction of statistical significance in OAB trials. Studies with larger sample sizes and efficacy outcomes from blinded trials were less fragile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin D Li
- Department of Urology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Nikit Venishetty
- Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Adrian M Fernandez
- Department of Urology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Nizar Hakam
- Department of Urology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Umar Ghaffar
- Department of Urology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Shiv Gupta
- Department of Urology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Hiren V Patel
- Department of Urology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Benjamin N Breyer
- Department of Urology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
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Hayes J, Zuercher M, Gai N, Chowdhury AR, Aoyama K. The Fragility Index of randomized controlled trials in pediatric anesthesiology. Can J Anaesth 2023; 70:1449-1460. [PMID: 37286747 DOI: 10.1007/s12630-023-02513-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The P value is a widely used measure of statistical importance but has many drawbacks and limitations, one being that it does not reflect the robustness of the results of a clinical trial. The Fragility Index (FI) was developed as a measure of how many outcome events would need to change to nonevents to render a significant P value nonsignificant (P ≥ 0.05). The FI of trials from other medical specialties is typically < 5. We aimed to determine the FI of pediatric anesthesiology randomized controlled trials (RCT) and to test for association with various characteristics of the included trials. METHODS We conducted a comprehensive systematic search of high-impact anesthesia, surgical, and medical journals from the last 25 years for trials comparing an intervention between two groups with a statistically significant P value (< 0.05) for a dichotomous outcome. We also compared FI values for variables that reflect the quality and importance of a trial. RESULTS The median [interquartile range] FI was 3 [1-7] and correlated positively with the number of participants (rS = 0.41; P < 0.001) and events (rS = 0.42; P < 0.001), and negatively with the P value (rPB = -0.36; P < 0.001). Other measures of trial quality and impact or importance were not strongly associated with the FI. CONCLUSIONS The FI of published trials in pediatric anesthesiology is similarly low as in other medical specialties. Larger trials with more events and P values ≤ 0.01 were associated with a higher FI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Hayes
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Mael Zuercher
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Nan Gai
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Apala Roy Chowdhury
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Kazuyoshi Aoyama
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Program in Child Health Evaluative Sciences, SickKids Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Hoang TNA, Quach HL, Hoang VN, Tran VT, Pham QT, Vogt F. Assessing the robustness of COVID-19 vaccine efficacy trials: systematic review and meta-analysis, January 2023. Euro Surveill 2023; 28:2200706. [PMID: 37261728 PMCID: PMC10236928 DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2023.28.22.2200706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundVaccines play a crucial role in the response to COVID-19 and their efficacy is thus of great importance.AimTo assess the robustness of COVID-19 vaccine efficacy (VE) trial results using the fragility index (FI) and fragility quotient (FQ) methodology.MethodsWe conducted a Cochrane and PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis of COVID-19 VE trials published worldwide until 22 January 2023. We calculated the FI and FQ for all included studies and assessed their associations with selected trial characteristics using Wilcoxon rank sum tests and Kruskal-Wallis H tests. Spearman correlation coefficients and scatter plots were used to quantify the strength of correlation of FIs and FQs with trial characteristics.ResultsOf 6,032 screened records, we included 40 trials with 54 primary outcomes, comprising 909,404 participants with a median sample size per outcome of 13,993 (interquartile range (IQR): 8,534-25,519). The median FI and FQ was 62 (IQR: 22-123) and 0.50% (IQR: 0.24-0.92), respectively. FIs were positively associated with sample size (p < 0.001), and FQs were positively associated with type of blinding (p = 0.023). The Spearman correlation coefficient for FI with sample size was moderately strong (0.607), and weakly positive for FI and FQ with VE (0.138 and 0.161, respectively).ConclusionsThis was the largest study on trial robustness to date. Robustness of COVID-19 VE trials increased with sample size and varied considerably across several other important trial characteristics. The FI and FQ are valuable complementary parameters for the interpretation of trial results and should be reported alongside established trial outcome measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thi Ngoc Anh Hoang
- Faculty of Medicine, PHENIKAA University, Yen Nghia, Ha Dong, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Ha-Linh Quach
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Department of Communicable Diseases Control and Prevention, National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Centre for Ageing Research and Education (CARE), Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Van Ngoc Hoang
- The General Department of Preventive Medicine, Ministry of Health, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | | | - Quang Thai Pham
- Department of Communicable Diseases Control and Prevention, National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Hanoi, Vietnam
- School of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Florian Vogt
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Anderson RM, Peña A, Johnson BS, Nowlin R, Hudson T, Vassar M. What's in a P-Value? A Fragility Analysis of RCTs in the AUA Guidelines for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Urology 2023; 176:127-136. [PMID: 36894031 DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2022.12.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To use the fragility index (FI) and fragility quotient (FQ) to assess the strength of statistically significant findings for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) cited in the American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines for benign prostatic hyperplasia. METHODS Two investigators independently screened the AUA guidelines for management of benign prostatic hyperplasia for RCTs cited as evidence for recommendations. Investigators extracted data related to event rate per group and loss to follow-up which was compared against the FI. Stata 17.0 was used to calculate the FI and FQ which was then summarized and reported according to primary or secondary endpoints. RESULTS Among the 373 citations in the AUA guidelines, 24 RCTs met inclusion criteria with 29 distinct outcomes analyzed. The median fragility index was 12 (IQR = 4-38), indicating that twelve alternative events to either study arm would nullify statistical significance. Six studies had a FI of ≤2, indicating that only 1-2 outcomes would need to be changed in order to render nonsignificance of results. In 10/24 RCTs, the number of patients lost to follow-up was greater than the FI. CONCLUSION The AUA Clinical Practice Guidelines for management of benign prostatic hyperplasia cite RCTs with more robust findings when compared to previous studies assessing fragility in the field of Urology. While several included studies had high fragility, the median FI in our analysis was approximately 4-5 times higher than comparable studies of urologic RCTs. However, there are areas where improvement is necessary to support the highest quality of evidence-based medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reece M Anderson
- Office of Medical Student Research, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK
| | - Andriana Peña
- Office of Medical Student Research, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK
| | - Bradley S Johnson
- Office of Medical Student Research, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK; Department of Urology, Sparrow Hospital, Lansing, MI; Michigan State Urology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
| | - Ross Nowlin
- Office of Medical Student Research, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK
| | - Tillman Hudson
- Department of Urology, St. Francis Health System, Tulsa, OK
| | - Matt Vassar
- Office of Medical Student Research, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK
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Rickard M, Santos JD, Keunen J, Lorenzo AJ. Prenatal Hydronephrosis: Bridging Pre- and Postnatal Management. Prenat Diagn 2022; 42:1081-1093. [PMID: 35165908 DOI: 10.1002/pd.6114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Urinary tract dilation (UTD), including hydronephrosis (HN) is the most common prenatally detected anomaly and affects up to 1-2% of pregnancies. Postnatally, it resolves without surgical intervention in approximately 75-80% of children, however this may take several years to occur, necessitating repeated clinic visits and additional invasive testing for many. For the remainder, a surgical intervention will be offered to relieve obstruction or to correct vesicoureteral reflux. During the monitoring period, many of these infants will be offered continuous antibiotic prophylaxis for the prevention of urinary tract infections, however this remains a controversial topic among pediatric urologists and nephrologists. Herein, we present an up-to-date review of the early management of prenatally detected UTD including timing of postnatal imaging, the use of antibiotics, when circumcision may be beneficial and long term outcomes of the most common HN etiologies. We also propose a decision making tool to help guide the care of infants with UTD. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mandy Rickard
- Division of Urology, Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joana Dos Santos
- Division of Urology, Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Johannes Keunen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mount Sinai Hospital and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Armando J Lorenzo
- Division of Urology, Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Li B, Kong I, McGrath M, Farrokhyar F, Braga LH. Evaluating the literature on preoperative androgen stimulation for hypospadias repair using the fragility index - can we trust observational studies? J Pediatr Urol 2021; 17:661-669. [PMID: 34518122 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpurol.2021.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 07/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preoperative androgen stimulation (PAS) is typically used in hypospadias repair for patients with a proximal meatus or small glans size. Hypospadias PAS literature suffer from small sample sizes and lack of power to claim robust conclusions. Small changes in the number of events may completely change the statistical significance, making the conclusions drawn unreliable. Fragility index (FI) is the number of additional events needed to occur in either the control or experimental group to turn a statistically significant result to a non-significant result. The objective of the report was to assess the quality of available literature revolving around PAS use in hypospadias repair and its effects on post-operative complication rates using FI. METHODS A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and grey literature (ESPU and SPU abstracts) was conducted to identify RCTs and observational studies investigating the effect of PAS on complications post-hypospadias repair between 1990 and 2020. The FI was calculated for each study. Postoperative complications were defined as: fistula, stricture/stenosis, diverticula, and dehiscence. The odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence intervals (CI), corresponding p-values was calculated for each study. A random effects mixed model was implemented to combine the ORs for each study design. RESULTS Fourteen studies qualified for inclusion, of which nine were observational studies and five were RCTs (Figure 1). The median sample size was 110 patients (IQR 69-171). The summary ORs for observational studies was 1.74 (95% CI: 1.10 to 2.74; p = 0.020) and for RCTs was 0.71 (9% CI: 0.34 to 1.47; p = 0.350). The median FI was 0 (IQR 0-2) of the included studies. DISCUSSION PAS use does not appear to significantly affect complication rates shown in RCTs, however, observational studies cumulatively suggested significantly greater odds of complications after PAS. The FI is best used for RCTs with 1-to-1 randomization and binary data. Observational studies are rarely balanced for demographics and comorbidities with unequal sample size between comparable groups. The study was limited by substantial variability in how PAS was delivered to patients, leading to restricted comparability. CONCLUSION Strong conclusions regarding the influence of PAS on hypospadias repair outcomes cannot be properly drawn based on the current literature due to deficits from either a statistical or methodological standpoint. The current PAS literature has shown inconclusive results, calling for well-designed RCTs, involving standardized surgical techniques and PAS protocols, to evaluate the true effect of PAS on complications post-hypospadias repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce Li
- Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Isaac Kong
- Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Melissa McGrath
- Department of Health Research, Methods, Evidence & Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; McMaster Pediatric Surgical Research Collaborative, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Forough Farrokhyar
- Department of Health Research, Methods, Evidence & Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Luis H Braga
- Department of Health Research, Methods, Evidence & Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Division of Urology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; McMaster Pediatric Surgical Research Collaborative, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
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Chertin L, Burman I, Haifler M. Urologic oncology randomized controlled trials are frequently fragile - A review of the urology literature. Urol Oncol 2021; 39:735.e1-735.e8. [PMID: 34103225 DOI: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2021.04.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Randomized controlled trials (RCT) in urologic oncology are the basis of patient management. Considerable debate exists on the limitation of statistical reporting of randomized controlled trials. Fragility index (FI) is a measure of the number of events upon which the trials statistical results depend on. The FI is defined as the minimum number of patients whose status would have to change from a 'non-event' to 'event', in order to turn a statistically significant result to a non-significant result and vice versa. Our aim is to examine the FI of RCT's in urologic oncology published in the urology literature. MATERIAL AND METHODS We exhaustively searched MEDLINE and EMBASE from January 1, 2016 to December 31 2019 for RCT's in urology journals. Only studies reporting dichotomous outcomes were included and FI was calculated for each outcome. The distributions of FI across different journals and types of outcome (primary/ secondary, significant/ non-significant) were assessed. We examined the correlation of FI with sample size and P-value. RESULTS We identified 216 RCT's, 79 were eligible for analysis. Median FI was 3.0 (2.5, 6.0). One hundred and forty-six (89.6%) outcomes from 72 (94.7%) RCT's had a FI lower than 10 and 6 (3.7%) outcomes from 6 (7.9%) RCT's had a FI = 0. There was no statistically significant difference in FI between different types of outcomes. There was a modest correlation between the FI and the sample size (rs 0.50, P < 0.01) and a weak correlation between the FI the P value (rs 0.15 (P < 0.04)). CONCLUSIONS Randomized controlled trials in urology journals that study dichotomous outcomes often report fragile results that should be regarded with caution. Reporting the FI alongside P values may enhance the interpretation and implementation of urologic oncology RCT's.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leon Chertin
- Department of urology, Shamir Medical Center, IL
| | | | - Miki Haifler
- Department of urology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, IL.
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Tzelves L, Chatzikrachtis N, Lazarou L, Mourmouris P, Pinitas A, Tsirkas K, Petropoulos O, Berdempes M, Feretzakis G, Glykas I, Fragkoulis C, Varkarakis I, Skolarikos A. Fragility index of urological literature regarding medical expulsive treatment. World J Urol 2021; 39:3741-3746. [PMID: 33978811 DOI: 10.1007/s00345-021-03725-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The role of medical expulsive treatment (MET) is controversial. Fragility index is an additional metric to assess randomized controlled trials (RCTs) outcome validity and indicates how many patients would be required to convert a trial from being statistically significant, to not significant. The larger is the FI, the better the trial's data. The aim of this study is to assess FI of RCTs regarding MET for ureteral stones. MATERIALS AND METHODS A systematic literature search was performed. RCTs, reporting stone expulsion as a dichotomous outcome, showing statistical significance were eligible. FI (the number of patients needed to change from a non-event to event group, to lose statistical significance) and Fragility quotient (FI divided by total sample size), were calculated while Pearson's correlation and Mann-Whitney U test were used as appropriate. RESULTS Thirty-six RCTs were eligible, with median FI = 3.5 and fragility quotient = 0.042, median sample size = 81, median journal impact factor = 1.73 and median reported p value = 0.008. In 33.3% of the studies, number of patients lost during follow-up was larger than FI, while in 13.89% of the studies, FI was 0, indicating use of inappropriate statistical method. Pearson's correlation showed significant positive association between FI and sample size (r = 0.981), number of events (r = 0.982) and impact factor (r = 0.731), while no association was found with p value or publication year. CONCLUSIONS In this analysis, a calculated FI of 3.5 indicates that findings from RCTs on MET for ureteral stones are fragile and should be interpreted in combination with clinical thinking and expertise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lazaros Tzelves
- Second Department of Urology, Sismanogleio General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Chatzikrachtis
- Second Department of Urology, Sismanogleio General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Lazaros Lazarou
- Second Department of Urology, Sismanogleio General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Panagiotis Mourmouris
- Second Department of Urology, Sismanogleio General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Alexandros Pinitas
- Second Department of Urology, Sismanogleio General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Kimon Tsirkas
- Second Department of Urology, Sismanogleio General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Orestis Petropoulos
- Second Department of Urology, Sismanogleio General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Marinos Berdempes
- Second Department of Urology, Sismanogleio General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Georgios Feretzakis
- Department of Quality Control, Research and Continuing Education, Sismanogleio General Hospital, 15126, Marousi, Greece
| | - Ioannis Glykas
- Department of Urology, General Hospital of Athens "G. Gennimatas", Athens, Greece.
| | | | - Ioannis Varkarakis
- Second Department of Urology, Sismanogleio General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Andreas Skolarikos
- Second Department of Urology, Sismanogleio General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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Rickard M, Keefe DT, Drysdale E, Erdman L, Hannick JH, Milford K, Santos JD, Mistry N, Koyle MA, Lorenzo AJ. Trends and relevance in the bladder and bowel dysfunction literature: PlumX metrics contrasted with fragility indicators. J Pediatr Urol 2020; 16:477.e1-477.e7. [PMID: 32684443 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpurol.2020.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The concepts of fragility index (FI) and fragility quotient (FQ) have been previously described. PlumX metrics encompass online "footprints" of research in addition to traditional citations. Herein we explore PlumX metrics against the quality of BBD literature. OBJECTIVE To explore altmetrics against the quality of bladder and bowel dysfunction (BBD) literature. STUDY DESIGN A literature search was conducted using Pubmed, Medline, Embase for BBD and related terms. A total of 54,045 abstracts were screened, followed by 693 full text reviews and data extraction from 126. Studies were included if they reported on 2 groups being compared, had dichotomous outcomes, and had significant results. RESULTS The median FI score was 4 (0-500) and there were 20 studies which had a FI of 0. The FQ had a median of 0.04 (0-0.32). PlumX usage was 263 ± 540, captures were 45 ± 60 and social media attention was 2 ± 2. Overall, 42% of papers were clinical trials (RCTs). When compared to other study designs, we noted a significant difference in PlumX captures (57 ± 72 RCT vs. 35 ± 47 other; p = 0.03). RCTs had higher usage, social media engagement and citations however, the differences were not significant. H-Index had a significant correlation with FI (p = 0.036), however correlations for PlumX usage and captures, while modestly positive (0.04-0.10) for the FI and FQ, were not significant. A comparison of FI and FQ by topic can be reviewed in the Summary Table. DISCUSSION When considering the FI and FQ robustness indicators of the BBD literature, we found similarities when compared to other studies. It was reported that overall, the hydronephrosis literature was fragile with many studies requiring only a few events to nullify significance, regardless of the study design. Similarly, in a review of pediatric vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) clinical trials, results were also fragile. When comparing fragility measures to altmetric variables we noted that despite the growing popularity of altmetrics, citation counts, and h-indices remain the traditional measures to monitor research consumption. There has been a reported correlation between manuscript citation counts, author h-index, altmetrics measures in several specialties and across many domains of research including medical sciences, arts, and the humanities, however in the present study only weak correlations were noted. CONCLUSION The body of BBD comparative studies is fragile in keeping with other pediatric urology literature populations. Despite fragile results, RCTs generate slightly moreattention as measured by select PlumX metrics. These results suggest the need for including fragility measures in our literature, aiming to focus attention towards more robust articles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mandy Rickard
- Division of Urology, Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Daniel T Keefe
- Division of Urology, Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Erik Drysdale
- Center for Computational Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lauren Erdman
- Center for Computational Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jessica H Hannick
- Division of Pediatric Urology, UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Karen Milford
- Division of Urology, Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joana Dos Santos
- Division of Urology, Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Niraj Mistry
- Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Martin A Koyle
- Division of Urology, Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Armando J Lorenzo
- Division of Urology, Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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