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BMC Medical Research Methodology
Published in: BMC Medical Research Methodology 1/2009

Open Access 01-12-2009 | Study protocol

Individual patient data meta-analysis of diagnostic and prognostic studies in obstetrics, gynaecology and reproductive medicine

Authors: Kimiko A Broeze, Brent C Opmeer, Lucas M Bachmann, Frank J Broekmans, Patrick MM Bossuyt, Sjors FPJ Coppus, Neil P Johnson, Khalid S Khan, Gerben ter Riet, Fulco van der Veen, Madelon van Wely, Ben WJ Mol

Published in: BMC Medical Research Methodology | Issue 1/2009

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Abstract

Background

In clinical practice a diagnosis is based on a combination of clinical history, physical examination and additional diagnostic tests. At present, studies on diagnostic research often report the accuracy of tests without taking into account the information already known from history and examination. Due to this lack of information, together with variations in design and quality of studies, conventional meta-analyses based on these studies will not show the accuracy of the tests in real practice. By using individual patient data (IPD) to perform meta-analyses, the accuracy of tests can be assessed in relation to other patient characteristics and allows the development or evaluation of diagnostic algorithms for individual patients.
In this study we will examine these potential benefits in four clinical diagnostic problems in the field of gynaecology, obstetrics and reproductive medicine.

Methods/design

Based on earlier systematic reviews for each of the four clinical problems, studies are considered for inclusion. The first authors of the included studies will be invited to participate and share their original data. After assessment of validity and completeness the acquired datasets are merged. Based on these data, a series of analyses will be performed, including a systematic comparison of the results of the IPD meta-analysis with those of a conventional meta-analysis, development of multivariable models for clinical history alone and for the combination of history, physical examination and relevant diagnostic tests and development of clinical prediction rules for the individual patients. These will be made accessible for clinicians.

Discussion

The use of IPD meta-analysis will allow evaluating accuracy of diagnostic tests in relation to other relevant information. Ultimately, this could increase the efficiency of the diagnostic work-up, e.g. by reducing the need for invasive tests and/or improving the accuracy of the diagnostic workup. This study will assess whether these benefits of IPD meta-analysis over conventional meta-analysis can be exploited and will provide a framework for future IPD meta-analyses in diagnostic and prognostic research.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Individual patient data meta-analysis of diagnostic and prognostic studies in obstetrics, gynaecology and reproductive medicine
Authors
Kimiko A Broeze
Brent C Opmeer
Lucas M Bachmann
Frank J Broekmans
Patrick MM Bossuyt
Sjors FPJ Coppus
Neil P Johnson
Khalid S Khan
Gerben ter Riet
Fulco van der Veen
Madelon van Wely
Ben WJ Mol
Publication date
01-12-2009
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Medical Research Methodology / Issue 1/2009
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2288
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-9-22

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