Loukia M Spineli1, Nikolaos Pandis2,3, Georgia Salanti1. 1. Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Ioannina, University Campus, Ioannina, Greece. 2. Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Dental School, Medical Faculty, University of Bern, Corfu, Switzerland. 3. Private practice, Corfu, Greece.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to provide empirical evidence about the reporting of methodology to address missing outcome data and the acknowledgement of their impact in Cochrane systematic reviews in the mental health field. METHODS: Systematic reviews published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews after January 1, 2009 by three Cochrane Review Groups relating to mental health were included. RESULTS: One hundred ninety systematic reviews were considered. Missing outcome data were present in at least one included study in 175 systematic reviews. Of these 175 systematic reviews, 147 (84%) accounted for missing outcome data by considering a relevant primary or secondary outcome (e.g., dropout). Missing outcome data implications were reported only in 61 (35%) systematic reviews and primarily in the discussion section by commenting on the amount of the missing outcome data. One hundred forty eligible meta-analyses with missing data were scrutinized. Seventy-nine (56%) of them had studies with total dropout rate between 10 and 30%. One hundred nine (78%) meta-analyses reported to have performed intention-to-treat analysis by including trials with imputed outcome data. Sensitivity analysis for incomplete outcome data was implemented in less than 20% of the meta-analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Reporting of the techniques for handling missing outcome data and their implications in the findings of the systematic reviews are suboptimal.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to provide empirical evidence about the reporting of methodology to address missing outcome data and the acknowledgement of their impact in Cochrane systematic reviews in the mental health field. METHODS: Systematic reviews published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews after January 1, 2009 by three Cochrane Review Groups relating to mental health were included. RESULTS: One hundred ninety systematic reviews were considered. Missing outcome data were present in at least one included study in 175 systematic reviews. Of these 175 systematic reviews, 147 (84%) accounted for missing outcome data by considering a relevant primary or secondary outcome (e.g., dropout). Missing outcome data implications were reported only in 61 (35%) systematic reviews and primarily in the discussion section by commenting on the amount of the missing outcome data. One hundred forty eligible meta-analyses with missing data were scrutinized. Seventy-nine (56%) of them had studies with total dropout rate between 10 and 30%. One hundred nine (78%) meta-analyses reported to have performed intention-to-treat analysis by including trials with imputed outcome data. Sensitivity analysis for incomplete outcome data was implemented in less than 20% of the meta-analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Reporting of the techniques for handling missing outcome data and their implications in the findings of the systematic reviews are suboptimal.
Authors: Toshi A Furukawa; Georgia Salanti; Lauren Z Atkinson; Stefan Leucht; Henricus G Ruhe; Erick H Turner; Anna Chaimani; Yusuke Ogawa; Nozomi Takeshima; Yu Hayasaka; Hissei Imai; Kiyomi Shinohara; Aya Suganuma; Norio Watanabe; Sarah Stockton; John R Geddes; Andrea Cipriani Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2016-07-08 Impact factor: 2.692
Authors: Dimitris Mavridis; Georgia Salanti; Toshi A Furukawa; Andrea Cipriani; Anna Chaimani; Ian R White Journal: Stat Med Date: 2018-10-22 Impact factor: 2.373