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Meta-analysis using individual participant data from randomised trials: opportunities and limitations created by
Ewelina Rogozińska1,2, Nadine Marlin3, Shakila Thangaratinam1,2
1Women's Health Research Unit, Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Evidence-Based Medicine
|August 19, 2017
Summary
Individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis offers potential but faces practical challenges. Pragmatic evaluation of trade-offs is crucial for successful evidence synthesis.
Area of Science:
- Evidence synthesis
- Health research methodology
- Clinical trial analysis
Background:
- Individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis is considered a high standard for synthesizing evidence on intervention effectiveness.
- While resource-intensive, IPD meta-analysis allows for incorporating unreported data and standardizing variables across trials.
- However, practical limitations in data harmonization and standardization can hinder the full utilization of IPD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss the opportunities and practical limitations of conducting IPD meta-analyses.
- To highlight the challenges encountered in IPD meta-analysis using a case study of lifestyle interventions in pregnancy.
- To emphasize the need for pragmatic approaches when undertaking IPD meta-analyses.
Main Methods:
- The study discusses the theoretical benefits and practical drawbacks of IPD meta-analysis.
- It uses an international IPD meta-analysis of lifestyle interventions in pregnancy as an illustrative example.
- The discussion focuses on the challenges of data harmonization, standardization, and usability.
Main Results:
- Access to IPD presents opportunities for robust evidence synthesis.
- Significant practical limitations exist, including diverse data capture and resource constraints, which can impede standardization.
- Unreported data, though available, may not always be usable in analyses.
Conclusions:
- IPD meta-analysis, despite its potential, faces persistent challenges common to other research methods.
- Researchers must pragmatically evaluate the trade-offs between study ambitions and achievable outcomes based on data quality.
- Incorporating aggregate data from trials lacking IPD is recommended for comprehensive and up-to-date evidence synthesis.
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