Methods used to meta-analyse results from interrupted time series studies: A methodological systematic review...

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Biostatistics
• Public Health Interventions

Background:

• Systematic reviews synthesize evidence for healthcare decisions.
• Interrupted time series (ITS) studies are crucial for evaluating interventions and exposures.
• Meta-analysis is a key component of systematic reviews, but guidance for ITS studies is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe current meta-analysis methods used in systematic reviews of interrupted time series (ITS) studies.
• To identify practices in synthesizing evidence from ITS data across various disciplines.
• To inform the development of future guidance for meta-analyzing ITS studies.

Main Methods:

• A systematic search of eight databases identified 100 recent reviews (2000-2019) including meta-analyses of ITS studies.
• Data extraction covered review-level details (discipline, bias assessment) and meta-analytic methods (outcomes, effect measures).
• Descriptive statistics were used to summarize extracted data.

Main Results:

• The study will detail the meta-analytic techniques currently employed for ITS data.
• It will categorize the types of outcomes and effect measures used in these syntheses.
• It will report on the use of bias assessment tools for ITS studies within reviews.

Conclusions:

• This review provides a comprehensive overview of meta-analysis practices for ITS studies.
• Results will highlight gaps in current methodology and inform future research directions.
• The findings will contribute to the development of evidence-based guidance for meta-analysis of ITS data.