Research and scholarly methods: Subgroup analysis

Subgroup analysis is designed to evaluate whether an intervention has differing effects according baseline characteristics of participants in clinical trials. This approach can help identify subgroups patient populations, within a single trial or across multiple trials (meta-analysis), that may benefit from the be hypothesis-generating for future Properly prespecified subgroup analyses increase effect size and legitimacy P-values determining significance hypothesis testing. However, many pitfalls limitations exist must recognized, including post hoc data-generating, testing, selective reporting, insufficient sample size. Failure account these could lead erroneous interpretations adversely impact decision-making. review will provide general overview, best practices, avoid investigators involved design, conduct, interpretation analyses.