Survey finds that most meta-analysts do not attempt to collect individual patient data

A failed attempt to conduct an individual patient data meta-analysis

A study-level meta-analysis has shown that proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a promising prognostic marker in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. An individual patient data meta-analysis could yield a prognostic tool with improved accuracy enabling well-founded clinical decisions. Our request to share patient data remained unanswered by five out of 18 research groups. Another four...

Do self-management interventions in COPD patients work and which patients benefit most? An individual patient data meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Self-management interventions are considered effective in patients with COPD, but trials have shown inconsistent results and it is unknown which patients benefit most. This study aimed to summarize the evidence on effectiveness of self-management interventions and identify subgroups of COPD patients who benefit most. METHODS Randomized trials of self-management interventions betwee...

Why collect individual-level vaccination data?

IPDMA: Individual Patient/Participant Data Meta-Analysis

In a previous article in KT Update (Dijkers, 2014), the development of meta-analysis (MA) was sketched from (1) meta-analysis of individual study findings (e.g., means and standard deviations, correlations) reported in the literature, to (2) meta-analysis of individual subject data harvested from the published literature, to (3) merging of datasets from multiple studies that share subject popul...

Individual patient data meta - analysis in surgery

Background