We need to talk about reliability: making better use of test-retest studies for study design and interpretation
Neuroimaging, in addition to many other fields of clinical research, is both time-consuming and expensive, and recruitable patients can be scarce. These constraints limit the possibility of large-sample experimental designs, and often lead to statistically underpowered studies. This problem is exace...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
PeerJ Inc.
2019-05-01
|
| Series: | PeerJ |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/6918.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797418161534926848 |
|---|---|
| author | Granville J. Matheson |
| author_facet | Granville J. Matheson |
| author_sort | Granville J. Matheson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Neuroimaging, in addition to many other fields of clinical research, is both time-consuming and expensive, and recruitable patients can be scarce. These constraints limit the possibility of large-sample experimental designs, and often lead to statistically underpowered studies. This problem is exacerbated by the use of outcome measures whose accuracy is sometimes insufficient to answer the scientific questions posed. Reliability is usually assessed in validation studies using healthy participants, however these results are often not easily applicable to clinical studies examining different populations. I present a new method and tools for using summary statistics from previously published test-retest studies to approximate the reliability of outcomes in new samples. In this way, the feasibility of a new study can be assessed during planning stages, and before collecting any new data. An R package called relfeas also accompanies this article for performing these calculations. In summary, these methods and tools will allow researchers to avoid performing costly studies which are, by virtue of their design, unlikely to yield informative conclusions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:28:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-15f11e3f27544ec59f1cc80e3f687257 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:28:32Z |
| publishDate | 2019-05-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-15f11e3f27544ec59f1cc80e3f6872572023-12-03T11:10:57ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592019-05-017e691810.7717/peerj.6918We need to talk about reliability: making better use of test-retest studies for study design and interpretationGranville J. Matheson0Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, SwedenNeuroimaging, in addition to many other fields of clinical research, is both time-consuming and expensive, and recruitable patients can be scarce. These constraints limit the possibility of large-sample experimental designs, and often lead to statistically underpowered studies. This problem is exacerbated by the use of outcome measures whose accuracy is sometimes insufficient to answer the scientific questions posed. Reliability is usually assessed in validation studies using healthy participants, however these results are often not easily applicable to clinical studies examining different populations. I present a new method and tools for using summary statistics from previously published test-retest studies to approximate the reliability of outcomes in new samples. In this way, the feasibility of a new study can be assessed during planning stages, and before collecting any new data. An R package called relfeas also accompanies this article for performing these calculations. In summary, these methods and tools will allow researchers to avoid performing costly studies which are, by virtue of their design, unlikely to yield informative conclusions.https://peerj.com/articles/6918.pdfReliabilityPositron Emission TomographyNeuroimagingStudy designR packagePower analysis |
| spellingShingle | Granville J. Matheson We need to talk about reliability: making better use of test-retest studies for study design and interpretation PeerJ Reliability Positron Emission Tomography Neuroimaging Study design R package Power analysis |
| title | We need to talk about reliability: making better use of test-retest studies for study design and interpretation |
| title_full | We need to talk about reliability: making better use of test-retest studies for study design and interpretation |
| title_fullStr | We need to talk about reliability: making better use of test-retest studies for study design and interpretation |
| title_full_unstemmed | We need to talk about reliability: making better use of test-retest studies for study design and interpretation |
| title_short | We need to talk about reliability: making better use of test-retest studies for study design and interpretation |
| title_sort | we need to talk about reliability making better use of test retest studies for study design and interpretation |
| topic | Reliability Positron Emission Tomography Neuroimaging Study design R package Power analysis |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/6918.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT granvillejmatheson weneedtotalkaboutreliabilitymakingbetteruseoftestreteststudiesforstudydesignandinterpretation |