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Improved reporting of selection processes in clinical database research. Response to de Kok et al
Letter/Communication

Improved reporting of selection processes in clinical database research. Response to de Kok et al

Neal D. Goldstein
Journal of clinical epidemiology, v 172, 111373
29 Apr 2024
PMID: 38692335
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2024.111373View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Jip W.T.M. de Kok and colleagues present a case study for inclusion of a ‘Table 0’, a comparison between a source clinical database and a list of patients eligible for or included in a study [1]. Given the rise in availability and use of such databases, including electronic health records (EHRs) and insurance claims, requiring a Table 0 could be an important step toward greater transparency and reproducibility in epidemiology. The authors argue that providing these details enables researchers to identify potential biases that result from selection processes. Understanding the inferential goal is central to the comparison being made, whether to the source database or the source population. It is more likely that we wish to infer something about the epidemiology to a broader group than those who have provided data into a single EHR or claims database. This extends the target population beyond the catchment of a given health-care system. Thus, a comparison from the study population to the target population is the most instructive. In such cases, the clinical database is a sampling frame of some source population conditional on the health-care system's catchment; this may differ from the target population. Others in the Journal have opined on the importance of a well-structured Table 1, including a comparison to the target of inference [2]. [1st paragraph]

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