Mediation analysis with a time-to-event outcome: a review of use and reporting in healthcare research
Background Mediation analysis tests whether the relationship between two variables is explained by a third intermediate variable. We sought to describe the usage and reporting of mediation analysis with time-to-event outcomes in published healthcare research. Methods A systematic search of Medline,...
Gespeichert in:
| Veröffentlicht in: | BMC medical research methodology Jg. 18; H. 1; S. 118 - 12 |
|---|---|
| Hauptverfasser: | , , , , , , , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Veröffentlicht: |
London
BioMed Central
29.10.2018
BioMed Central Ltd Springer Nature B.V BMC |
| Schlagworte: | |
| ISSN: | 1471-2288, 1471-2288 |
| Online-Zugang: | Volltext |
| Tags: |
Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
|
| Zusammenfassung: | Background
Mediation analysis tests whether the relationship between two variables is explained by a third intermediate variable. We sought to describe the usage and reporting of mediation analysis with time-to-event outcomes in published healthcare research.
Methods
A systematic search of Medline, Embase, and Web of Science was executed in December 2016 to identify applications of mediation analysis to healthcare research involving a clinically relevant time-to-event outcome. We summarized usage over time and reporting of important methodological characteristics.
Results
We included 149 primary studies, published from 1997 to 2016. Most studies were published after 2011 (
n
= 110, 74%), and the annual number of studies nearly doubled in the last year (from
n
= 21 to
n
= 40). A traditional approach (causal steps or change in coefficient) was most commonly taken (
n
= 87, 58%), and the majority of studies (
n
= 114, 77%) used a Cox Proportional Hazards regression for the outcome. Few studies (
n
= 52, 35%) mentioned any of the assumptions or limitations fundamental to a causal interpretation of mediation analysis.
Conclusion
There is increasing use of mediation analysis with time-to-event outcomes. Current usage is limited by reliance on traditional methods and the Cox Proportional Hazards model, as well as low rates of reporting of underlying assumptions. There is a need for formal criteria to aid authors, reviewers, and readers reporting or appraising such studies. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographie: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 14 content type line 23 ObjectType-Undefined-3 |
| ISSN: | 1471-2288 1471-2288 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12874-018-0578-7 |