The Individual Participant Data Integrity Tool for Assessing the Integrity of Randomised Trials

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Bibliographic Details
Title: The Individual Participant Data Integrity Tool for Assessing the Integrity of Randomised Trials
Language: English
Authors: Kylie E. Hunter (ORCID 0000-0002-2796-9220), Mason Aberoumand, Sol Libesman, James X. Sotiropoulos, Jonathan G. Williams, Jannik Aagerup, Rui Wang (ORCID 0000-0002-6622-8134), Ben W. Mol, Wentao Li, Angie Barba, Nipun Shrestha, Angela C. Webster, Anna Lene Seidler
Source: Research Synthesis Methods. 2024 15(6):917-939.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 23
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Integrity, Randomized Controlled Trials, Participant Characteristics, Computer Software, Evaluation Methods, Advisory Committees, Correlation, Decision Making, Evidence
DOI: 10.1002/jrsm.1738
ISSN: 1759-2879
1759-2887
Abstract: Increasing concerns about the trustworthiness of research have prompted calls to scrutinise studies' Individual Participant Data (IPD), but guidance on how to do this was lacking. To address this, we developed the IPD Integrity Tool to screen randomised controlled trials (RCTs) for integrity issues. Development of the tool involved a literature review, consultation with an expert advisory group, piloting on two IPD meta-analyses (including 73 trials with IPD), preliminary validation on 13 datasets with and without known integrity issues, and evaluation to inform iterative refinements. The IPD Integrity Tool comprises 31 items (13 study-level, 18 IPD-specific). IPD-specific items are automated where possible, and are grouped into eight domains, including unusual data patterns, baseline characteristics, correlations, date violations, patterns of allocation, internal and external inconsistencies, and plausibility of data. Users rate each item as having either no issues, some/minor issue(s), or many/major issue(s) according to decision rules, and justification for each rating is recorded. Overall, the tool guides decision-making by determining whether a trial has no concerns, some concerns requiring further information, or major concerns warranting exclusion from evidence synthesis or publication. In our preliminary validation checks, the tool accurately identified all five studies with known integrity issues. The IPD Integrity Tool enables users to assess the integrity of RCTs via examination of IPD. The tool may be applied by evidence synthesists, editors and others to determine whether an RCT should be considered sufficiently trustworthy to contribute to the evidence base that informs policy and practice.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1447270
Database: ERIC
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