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Evidence-based Knowledge Synthesis and Hypothesis Validation: Navigating Biomedical Knowledge Bases via Explainable AI and Agentic Systems
Published on: June 13, 2025
Evidence synthesis combining individual patient data and aggregate data: a systematic review identified current
Richard D Riley1, Mark C Simmonds, Maxime P Look
1Centre for Medical Statistics and Health Evaluation, School of Health Sciences, University of Liverpool, UK. richard.riley@liv.ac.uk
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
|April 11, 2007
Summary
Combining individual patient data (IPD) with aggregate data (AD) is crucial for comprehensive evidence synthesis. This review found that IPD meta-analysis often incorporates AD when IPD is not fully available, highlighting the need for advanced methods.
Area of Science:
- Biostatistics
- Epidemiology
- Health Research Synthesis
Background:
- Individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis is the gold standard for evidence synthesis.
- Aggregate data (AD) is often available when IPD is not, necessitating combined approaches.
- Utilizing all available evidence enhances the robustness of meta-analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review applied IPD meta-analysis articles.
- To assess the extent and methods of combining AD with IPD in practice.
- To inform researchers on practical approaches for evidence synthesis.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of articles identified through bibliographic databases and searches.
- Analysis of 33 articles that combined IPD and AD, and 166 that did not.
- Recording the proportion of studies providing IPD in combined analyses.
Main Results:
- Articles combining IPD and AD utilized IPD in an average of 64% of studies, versus 90% in those not combining data.
- Two primary methods (two-stage, partially reconstructed IPD) were identified in practice.
- Four methods in total were identified, including multilevel modeling and Bayesian hierarchical related regression.
Conclusions:
- Combining IPD and AD is a significant consideration in evidence synthesis.
- Further development and validation of meta-analysis methods for combined data are required.
- Practical guidance on combining IPD and AD can aid researchers.
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