Statistics in medicine
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Statistics in medicine · Dec 2000
Assessing the potential for bias in meta-analysis due to selective reporting of subgroup analyses within studies.
Subgroup analysis is frequently used to investigate heterogeneity in meta-analysis. Subgroup data are not always available, and researchers should record what data were available for each trial. If data were not available, and it is known that the subgroup data were collected, the potential for selective reporting should be considered. ⋯ The conclusion in the original review, that benefit is limited to primigravidae, was based on subgroup analysis using the three trials out of five which reported on subgroups. We developed a method of sensitivity analysis that imputes data for the missing subgroups to assess the robustness of the results and the conclusions drawn. In this particular example, our analysis indicates that the estimate of effect reported in the review is most likely to overestimate the true effect and the conclusion that benefit is limited to primigravidae may be false.
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Statistics in medicine · Dec 2000
Historical ArticleReflections on statistics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 30 years ago.
A course leading to the Master of Science (MSc) degree in Medical Statistics was started at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1968. The events leading up to this initiative are outlined in the context of earlier developments in statistics at the School and the general growth of opportunities in statistical education.