Chapter 12 – Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis – Systematic Reviews in Health Research

Mark C. Simmonds, Lesley A. Stewart

Abstract

Most systematic reviews are based on identifying reports of eligible studies and base their analyses on data presented in these reports, typically journal publications. This can lead to bias and imprecision if studies do not report their results, or report them in inconsistent or unhelpful ways. Collection of individual participant data (IPD) from every participant in every study may reduce these problems. Using IPD offers many advantages, including collaboration with study authors, allowing for more consistent and complete analyses of the data, and investigating the impact of individual-level covariates. However, collecting and managing IPD generally require considerable time and expertise. While many aspects of an IPD systematic review are similar to those of a standard systematic review, important differences include establishing the collaborations or access necessary to obtain IPD, managing and checking, and the statistical methods used for meta-analysis of the data.

Corrections

Page 229 Section 12.3.3.1: the term radiotherapy should read chemotherapy.

Resources

See practicals below.

Practicals

R-based example to mimic the IPD analysis in Chapter 12.

Brussels artificial data & analysis Download

Chapter-12-IPD-data-and-exercise Download

Author affiliations

Mark C. Simmonds

Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, York, UK

Lesley A. Stewart

Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, York, UK

How to cite this chapter?

For the printed version of the book

Simmonds, M.C. and Stewart, L.A. (2022). Chapter 12. Individual participant data meta-analysis. In: Systematic Reviews in Health Research: Meta-analysis in Context (eds M. Egger, J.P.T. Higgins and G. Davey Smith), pp 220-237. Hoboken, NJ : Wiley.