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Hufstedler H, Mauer N, Yeboah E, Carr S, Rahman S, Danzer AM, Debray TPA, de Jong VMT, Campbell H, Gustafson P, Maxwell L, Jaenisch T, Matthay EC, Bärnighausen T. Application of causal inference methods in individual-participant data meta-analyses in medicine: addressing data handling and reporting gaps with new proposed reporting guidelines. BMC Med Res Methodol 2024; 24:91. [PMID: 38641771 PMCID: PMC11027270 DOI: 10.1186/s12874-024-02210-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Observational data provide invaluable real-world information in medicine, but certain methodological considerations are required to derive causal estimates. In this systematic review, we evaluated the methodology and reporting quality of individual-level patient data meta-analyses (IPD-MAs) conducted with non-randomized exposures, published in 2009, 2014, and 2019 that sought to estimate a causal relationship in medicine. We screened over 16,000 titles and abstracts, reviewed 45 full-text articles out of the 167 deemed potentially eligible, and included 29 into the analysis. Unfortunately, we found that causal methodologies were rarely implemented, and reporting was generally poor across studies. Specifically, only three of the 29 articles used quasi-experimental methods, and no study used G-methods to adjust for time-varying confounding. To address these issues, we propose stronger collaborations between physicians and methodologists to ensure that causal methodologies are properly implemented in IPD-MAs. In addition, we put forward a suggested checklist of reporting guidelines for IPD-MAs that utilize causal methods. This checklist could improve reporting thereby potentially enhancing the quality and trustworthiness of IPD-MAs, which can be considered one of the most valuable sources of evidence for health policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather Hufstedler
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Nicole Mauer
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Edmund Yeboah
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sinclair Carr
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Center for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sabahat Rahman
- University of Massachusetts Medical School, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, USA, MA
| | - Alexander M Danzer
- KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Ingolstadt School of Management and Economics (WFI), Ingolstadt, Germany
- IZA, Bonn, Germany
- CESifo, Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas P A Debray
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Smart Data Analysis and Statistics B.V, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Valentijn M T de Jong
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Cochrane Netherlands, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Harlan Campbell
- Department of Statistics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, BC
| | - Paul Gustafson
- Department of Statistics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, BC
| | - Lauren Maxwell
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Jaenisch
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Center for Global Health, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, USA, CO
- Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, USA
| | - Ellicott C Matthay
- Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York City, USA, NY
| | - Till Bärnighausen
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, USA, MA
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Hufstedler H, Mauer N, Yeboah E, Carr S, Rahman S, Danzer AM, Debray TPA, Jong VMT, Campbell H, Gustafson P, Maxwell L, Jaenisch T, Matthay EC, Bärnighausen T. Application of Causal Inference Methods to Pooled Longitudinal Non- Randomized Studies: A Methodological Systematic Review. Res Sq 2023:rs.3.rs-3282208. [PMID: 37693428 PMCID: PMC10491342 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3282208/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Observational data provide invaluable real-world information in medicine, but certain methodological considerations are required to derive causal estimates. In this systematic review, we evaluated the methodology and reporting quality of individual-level patient data meta-analyses (IPD-MAs) published in 2009, 2014, and 2019 that sought to estimate a causal relationship in medicine. We screened over 16,000 titles and abstracts, reviewed 45 full-text articles out of the 167 deemed potentially eligible, and included 29 into the analysis. Unfortunately, we found that causal methodologies were rarely implemented, and reporting was generally poor across studies. Specifically, only three of the 29 articles used quasi-experimental methods, and no study used G-methods to adjust for time-varying confounding. To address these issues, we propose stronger collaborations between physicians and methodologists to ensure that causal methodologies are properly implemented in IPD-MAs. In addition, we put forward a suggested checklist of reporting guidelines for IPD-MAs that utilize causal methods. This checklist could improve reporting thereby potentially enhancing the quality and trustworthiness of IPD-MAs, which can be considered one of the most valuable sources of evidence for health policy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Sabahat Rahman
- University of Massachusetts Medical School, University of Massachusetts
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Fireman Klein E, Elimeleh Y, Adir Y, Majdoub L, Shteinberg M, Kessel A. COVID-19 Lockdown in Israel: The Environmental Effect on Ultrafine Particle Content in the Airway. IJERPH 2022; 19:5507. [PMID: 35564902 PMCID: PMC9105301 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19095507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Inhaled ultrafine particle (UFP) content in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) was observed as an airway inflammatory marker and an indicator of exposure to particulate matter (PM). The exceptional decline in air pollution during the COVID-19 lockdown was an opportunity to evaluate the effect of environmental changes on UFP airway content. We collected EBC samples from 30 healthy subjects during the first lockdown due to COVID-19 in Israel (March–April 2020) and compared them to EBC samples retrieved during April–June 2016 from 25 other healthy subjects (controls) living in the same northern Israeli district. All participants underwent EBC collection and blood sampling. Ambient air pollutant levels were collected from the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection’s online database. Data were acquired from the monitoring station closest to each subject’s home address, and means were calculated for a duration of 1 month preceding EBC collection. UFP contents were measured in the EBC and blood samples by means of the NanoSight LM20 system. There was a dramatic reduction in NO, NO2, SO2, and O3 levels during lockdown compared to a similar period in 2016 (by 61%, 26%, 50%, and 45%, respectively). The specific NO2 levels were 8.3 ppb for the lockdown group and 11.2 ppb for the controls (p = 0.01). The lockdown group had higher UFP concentrations in EBC and lower UFP concentrations in serum compared to controls (0.58 × 108/mL and 4.3 × 108/mL vs. 0.43 × 108/mL and 6.7 × 108/mL, p = 0.05 and p = 0.03, respectively). In this observational study, reduced levels of air pollution during the COVID-19 lockdown were reflected in increased levels of UFP airway contents. The suggested mechanism is that low airway inflammation levels during lockdown resulted in a decreased UFP translocation to serum. Further studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.
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