Journal of clinical epidemiology
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Review
Systematic review identifies number of strategies important for retaining study participants.
Loss to follow-up threatens internal and external validity yet little research has examined ways to limit participant attrition. We conducted a systematic review of studies with a primary focus on strategies to retain participants in health care research. ⋯ Available evidence suggests that investigators should consider using a number of retention strategies across several themes to maximize the retention of participants. Further research, including explicit evaluation of the effectiveness of different strategies, is needed.
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To assess the methodology of meta-analyses published in leading general and specialist medical journals over a 10-year period. ⋯ Many meta-analyses published in leading journals have important methodological limitations. The situation has improved in recent years but considerable room for further improvements remains.