Data source profile reporting by studies that use routinely collected health data to explore the effects of drug treatment
Abstract Background Routinely collected health data (RCD) are important resource for exploring drug treatment effects. Adequate reporting of data source profiles may increase the credibility of evidence generated from these data. This study conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the re...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-04-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Research Methodology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-023-01922-8 |
| _version_ | 1797840898284847104 |
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| author | Wen Wang Mei Liu Qiao He Mingqi Wang Jiayue Xu Ling Li Guowei Li Lin He Kang Zou Xin Sun |
| author_facet | Wen Wang Mei Liu Qiao He Mingqi Wang Jiayue Xu Ling Li Guowei Li Lin He Kang Zou Xin Sun |
| author_sort | Wen Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Routinely collected health data (RCD) are important resource for exploring drug treatment effects. Adequate reporting of data source profiles may increase the credibility of evidence generated from these data. This study conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the reporting characteristics of databases used by RCD studies to explore the effects of drug treatment. Methods Observational studies published in 2018 that used RCD to explore the effects of drug treatment were identified by searching PubMed. We categorized eligible reports into two groups by journal impact factor (IF), including the top 5 general medical journals (NEJM, Lancet, JAMA, BMJ and JAMA Internal Medicine) and the other journals. The reporting characteristics of the databases used were described and compared between the two groups and between studies citing and not citing database references. Results A total of 222 studies were included, of which 53 (23.9%) reported that they applied data linkage, 202 (91.0%) reported the type of database, and 211 (95.0%) reported the coverage of the data source. Only 81 (36.5%) studies reported the timeframe of the database. Studies in high-impact journals were more likely to report that they applied data linkage (65.1% vs. 20.2%) and used electronic medical records (EMR) (73.7% vs. 30.0%) and national data sources (77.8% vs. 51.3%) than those published in other medical journals. There were 137/222 (61.7%) cited database references. Studies with database-specific citations had better reporting of the data sources and were more likely to publish in high-impact journals than those without (mean IF, 6.08 vs. 4.09). Conclusions Some deficits were found in the reporting quality of databases in studies that used RCD to explore the effects of drug treatment. Studies citing database-specific references may provide detailed information regarding data source characteristics. The adoption of reporting guidelines and education on their use is urgently needed to promote transparency by research groups. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T16:22:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-04b6863781eb42ec905f87345fe7c232 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2288 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T16:22:21Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Research Methodology |
| spelling | doaj.art-04b6863781eb42ec905f87345fe7c2322023-04-23T11:21:08ZengBMCBMC Medical Research Methodology1471-22882023-04-012311910.1186/s12874-023-01922-8Data source profile reporting by studies that use routinely collected health data to explore the effects of drug treatmentWen Wang0Mei Liu1Qiao He2Mingqi Wang3Jiayue Xu4Ling Li5Guowei Li6Lin He7Kang Zou8Xin Sun9Chinese Evidence-based Medicine Center and Cochrane China Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChinese Evidence-based Medicine Center and Cochrane China Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChinese Evidence-based Medicine Center and Cochrane China Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChinese Evidence-based Medicine Center and Cochrane China Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChinese Evidence-based Medicine Center and Cochrane China Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChinese Evidence-based Medicine Center and Cochrane China Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster UniversityIntelligence Library Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChinese Evidence-based Medicine Center and Cochrane China Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChinese Evidence-based Medicine Center and Cochrane China Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityAbstract Background Routinely collected health data (RCD) are important resource for exploring drug treatment effects. Adequate reporting of data source profiles may increase the credibility of evidence generated from these data. This study conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the reporting characteristics of databases used by RCD studies to explore the effects of drug treatment. Methods Observational studies published in 2018 that used RCD to explore the effects of drug treatment were identified by searching PubMed. We categorized eligible reports into two groups by journal impact factor (IF), including the top 5 general medical journals (NEJM, Lancet, JAMA, BMJ and JAMA Internal Medicine) and the other journals. The reporting characteristics of the databases used were described and compared between the two groups and between studies citing and not citing database references. Results A total of 222 studies were included, of which 53 (23.9%) reported that they applied data linkage, 202 (91.0%) reported the type of database, and 211 (95.0%) reported the coverage of the data source. Only 81 (36.5%) studies reported the timeframe of the database. Studies in high-impact journals were more likely to report that they applied data linkage (65.1% vs. 20.2%) and used electronic medical records (EMR) (73.7% vs. 30.0%) and national data sources (77.8% vs. 51.3%) than those published in other medical journals. There were 137/222 (61.7%) cited database references. Studies with database-specific citations had better reporting of the data sources and were more likely to publish in high-impact journals than those without (mean IF, 6.08 vs. 4.09). Conclusions Some deficits were found in the reporting quality of databases in studies that used RCD to explore the effects of drug treatment. Studies citing database-specific references may provide detailed information regarding data source characteristics. The adoption of reporting guidelines and education on their use is urgently needed to promote transparency by research groups.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-023-01922-8Routinely collected health dataDrug treatment effectReporting characteristics |
| spellingShingle | Wen Wang Mei Liu Qiao He Mingqi Wang Jiayue Xu Ling Li Guowei Li Lin He Kang Zou Xin Sun Data source profile reporting by studies that use routinely collected health data to explore the effects of drug treatment BMC Medical Research Methodology Routinely collected health data Drug treatment effect Reporting characteristics |
| title | Data source profile reporting by studies that use routinely collected health data to explore the effects of drug treatment |
| title_full | Data source profile reporting by studies that use routinely collected health data to explore the effects of drug treatment |
| title_fullStr | Data source profile reporting by studies that use routinely collected health data to explore the effects of drug treatment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Data source profile reporting by studies that use routinely collected health data to explore the effects of drug treatment |
| title_short | Data source profile reporting by studies that use routinely collected health data to explore the effects of drug treatment |
| title_sort | data source profile reporting by studies that use routinely collected health data to explore the effects of drug treatment |
| topic | Routinely collected health data Drug treatment effect Reporting characteristics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-023-01922-8 |
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