| 1. |
- Aerts, Marc, et al.
(författare)
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Pooled individual patient data from five countries were used to derive a clinical prediction rule for coronary artery disease in primary care.
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. - : Elsevier. - 0895-4356 .- 1878-5921. ; 81, s. 120-128
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To construct a clinical prediction rule for coronary artery disease (CAD) presenting with chest pain in primary care.STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Meta-Analysis using 3,099 patients from five studies. To identify candidate predictors, we used random forest trees, multiple imputation of missing values, and logistic regression within individual studies. To generate a prediction rule on the pooled data, we applied a regression model that took account of the differing standard data sets collected by the five studies.RESULTS: The most parsimonious rule included six equally weighted predictors: age ≥55 (males) or ≥65 (females) (+1); attending physician suspected a serious diagnosis (+1); history of CAD (+1); pain brought on by exertion (+1); pain feels like "pressure" (+1); pain reproducible by palpation (-1). CAD was considered absent if the prediction score is <2. The area under the ROC curve was 0.84. We applied this rule to a study setting with a CAD prevalence of 13.2% using a prediction score cutoff of <2 (i.e., -1, 0, or +1). When the score was <2, the probability of CAD was 2.1% (95% CI: 1.1-3.9%); when the score was ≥ 2, it was 43.0% (95% CI: 35.8-50.4%).CONCLUSIONS: Clinical prediction rules are a key strategy for individualizing care. Large data sets based on electronic health records from diverse sites create opportunities for improving their internal and external validity. Our patient-level meta-analysis from five primary care sites should improve external validity. Our strategy for addressing site-to-site systematic variation in missing data should improve internal validity. Using principles derived from decision theory, we also discuss the problem of setting the cutoff prediction score for taking action.
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| 2. |
- Haasenritter, Joerg, et al.
(författare)
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Coronary heart disease in primary care: accuracy of medical history and physical findings in patients with chest pain - a study protocol for a systematic review with individual patient data
- 2012
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Ingår i: BMC Family Practice. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2296. ; 13:81
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Chest pain is a common complaint in primary care, with coronary heart disease (CHD) being the most concerning of many potential causes. Systematic reviews on the sensitivity and specificity of symptoms and signs summarize the evidence about which of them are most useful in making a diagnosis. Previous meta-analyses are dominated by studies of patients referred to specialists. Moreover, as the analysis is typically based on study-level data, the statistical analyses in these reviews are limited while meta-analyses based on individual patient data can provide additional information. Our patient-level meta-analysis has three unique aims. First, we strive to determine the diagnostic accuracy of symptoms and signs for myocardial ischemia in primary care. Second, we investigate associations between study-or patient-level characteristics and measures of diagnostic accuracy. Third, we aim to validate existing clinical prediction rules for diagnosing myocardial ischemia in primary care. This article describes the methods of our study and six prospective studies of primary care patients with chest pain. Later articles will describe the main results. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMethods/Design: We will conduct a systematic review and IPD meta-analysis of studies evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of symptoms and signs for diagnosing coronary heart disease in primary care. We will perform bivariate analyses to determine the sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ratios of individual symptoms and signs and multivariate analyses to explore the diagnostic value of an optimal combination of all symptoms and signs based on all data of all studies. We will validate existing clinical prediction rules from each of the included studies by calculating measures of diagnostic accuracy separately by study. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanDiscussion: Our study will face several methodological challenges. First, the number of studies will be limited. Second, the investigators of original studies defined some outcomes and predictors differently. Third, the studies did not collect the same standard clinical data set. Fourth, missing data, varying from partly missing to fully missing, will have to be dealt with. Despite these limitations, we aim to summarize the available evidence regarding the diagnostic accuracy of symptoms and signs for diagnosing CHD in patients presenting with chest pain in primary care. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanReview registration: Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (University of York): CRD42011001170
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| 3. |
- Harris, Jennifer K, et al.
(författare)
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Variations in colonoscopy practice in Europe: A multicentre descriptive study (EPAGE)
- 2007
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1502-7708 .- 0036-5521. ; 42:1, s. 126-134
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective. The volume of colonoscopies performed is increasing and differences in colonoscopy practice over time and between centres have been reported. Examination of current practice is important for benchmarking quality. The objective of this study was to examine variations in colonoscopy practice in endoscopy centres internationally. Material and methods. This observational study prospectively included consecutive patients referred for colonoscopy from 21 centres in 11 countries. Patient, procedure and centre characteristics were collected through questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were performed and the variation between centres while controlling for case-mix was examined. Results. A total of 6004 patients were included in the study. Most colonoscopies (93%; range between centres 70-100%) were performed for diagnostic purposes. The proportion of main indications for colonoscopy showed wide variations between centres, the two most common indications, surveillance and haematochezia, ranging between 7-24% and 5-38%, respectively. High-quality cleansing occurred in 74% (range 51-94%) of patients, and 30% (range 0-100%) of patients received deep sedation. Three-quarters (range 0-100%) of the patients were monitored during colonoscopy, and one-quarter (range 14-35%) underwent polypectomy. Colonoscopy was complete in 89% (range 69-98%) of patients and the median total duration was 20 min (range of centre medians 15-30 min). The variation between centres was not reduced when case-mix was controlled for. Conclusions. This study documented wide variations in colonoscopy practice between centres. Controlling for case-mix did not remove these variations, indicating that centre and procedure characteristics play a role. Centres generally were within the existing guidelines, although there is still some work to be done to ensure that all centres attain the goal of providing high-quality colonoscopy.
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| 4. |
- Mäkelä, Marjukka, et al.
(författare)
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Education and Support Networks for Assessment of Health Interventions
- 2002
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Ingår i: International journal of technology assessment in health care. - : Cambridge University Press. - 1471-6348 .- 0266-4623. ; 18:2, s. 423-446
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of Working Group 5 is to develop and coordinate education and support networks for individuals and organizations undertaking or using assessment of health interventions and to identify needs in the field and assist in the establishment of new provisions.
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