Читать книгу Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis - Группа авторов - Страница 68

Once it has been established that an IPD meta‐analysis project is both appropriate (Chapter 2) and feasible (Chapter 3), and suitable personnel, governance and funding are in place (Chapter 3), there is a need to set up systems and processes that will ensure it will be conducted well. This chapter provides guidance on the preparations needed just prior to the collection of IPD (Section 4.2), and how to go about establishing and maintaining collaboration with IPD providers. It also outlines the steps (shown in Figure 4.1) needed to obtain, check and manage IPD (Sections 4.4 and 4.5), and to investigate risk of bias (Section 4.6), prior to final verification and merging of data (Sections 4.8 and 4.9) in readiness for analysis (Part 2). This stage is often underappreciated, but is critical to ensuring the success of the project and that subsequent meta‐analyses are robust and comprehensive. We focus on projects that aim to collate IPD from multiple randomised trials to examine the effect of a particular treatment, but very similar principles apply when seeking IPD from other study types, such as observational studies for diagnosis or prognosis (Part 5).

Figure 4.1 Overview of key steps involved in obtaining, managing and checking IPD from a single trial.

Source: Larysa Rydzewska and Jayne Tierney.