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Updated: May 22, 2026
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A Metadata Extraction Approach for Clinical Case Reports to Enable Advanced Understanding of Biomedical Concepts
Published on: September 20, 2018
Missing data: a systematic review of how they are reported and handled
Iris Eekhout1, R Michiel de Boer, Jos W R Twisk
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. i.eekhout@vumc.nl
Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.)
|May 16, 2012
Summary
Researchers often fail to adequately report or handle missing data in studies. Complete-case analysis is common, potentially leading to biased results when specific methods for missing data are not applied.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Biostatistics
Background:
- Missing data reporting in questionnaires is inconsistent.
- Current methods for handling missing data require examination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review how missing data are reported in research.
- To overview current methodologies for addressing missing data.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of 262 studies published in 2010.
- Analysis of data reporting, missing data types, and handling methods.
Main Results:
- 78% of studies lacked clear measurement instrument information.
- Complete-case analysis was used in 81% of studies.
- Selectivity of missing data was rarely examined.
Conclusions:
- Specific methods for missing data in multi-item instruments are underutilized.
- Prevalence of complete-case analysis may introduce serious bias.
- Improved reporting and application of missing data methods are needed.
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