Bmc Med Res Methodol
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Bmc Med Res Methodol · Apr 2019
Comparative StudyAn empirical comparison of Bayesian modelling strategies for missing binary outcome data in network meta-analysis.
A number of strategies have been proposed to handle missing binary outcome data (MOD) in systematic reviews. However, none of these have been evaluated empirically in a series of published systematic reviews. ⋯ Addressing MOD using extreme scenarios and/or ignoring the uncertainty about the scenarios may negatively affect NMA estimates. Modelling MOD via the IMOR parameter can ensure bias-adjusted estimates and offer valuable insights into missingness mechanisms. The researcher should seek an expert opinion in order to decide on the structure of log IMOR that best aligns to the condition and interventions studied and to define a proper prior distribution for log IMOR. Our findings also apply to pairwise meta-analyses.