Abstract
BackgroundPublication and related biases (including publication bias, time-lag bias, outcome reporting bias and p-hacking) have been well documented in clinical research, but relatively little is known about their presence and extent in health services research (HSR). This paper aims to systematically review evidence concerning publication and related bias in quantitative HSR.MethodsDatabases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, HMIC, CINAHL, Web of Science, Health Systems Evidence, Cochrane EPOC Review Group and several websites were searched to July 2018. Information was obtained from: (1) Methodological studies that set out to investigate publication and related biases in HSR; (2) Systematic reviews of HSR topics which examined such biases as part of the review process. Relevant information was extracted from included studies by one reviewer and checked by another. Studies were appraised according to commonly accepted scientific principles due to lack of suitable checklists. Data were synthesised narratively.ResultsAfter screening 6155 citations, four methodological studies investigating publication bias in HSR and 184 systematic reviews of HSR topics (including three comparing published with unpublished evidence) were examined. Evidence suggestive of publication bias was reported in some of the methodological studies, but evidence presented was very weak, limited in both quality and scope. Reliable data on outcome reporting bias and p-hacking were scant. HSR systematic reviews in which published literature was compared with unpublished evidence found significant differences in the estimated intervention effects or association in some but not all cases.ConclusionsMethodological research on publication and related biases in HSR is sparse. Evidence from available literature suggests that such biases may exist in HSR but their scale and impact are difficult to estimate for various reasons discussed in this paper.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO 2016 CRD42016052333.
Highlights
Publication and related biases have been well documented in clinical research, but relatively little is known about their presence and extent in health services research (HSR)
Two hundred and forty articles did not meet the inclusion criteria primarily because no empirical evidence on publication and related biases was reported or the subject areas lay outside the domain of HSR as described above
Systematic reviews of HSR topics providing evidence on publication and related bias We identified 184 systematic reviews of HSR topics in which empirical evidence on publication and related bias was reported
Summary
Publication and related biases (including publication bias, time-lag bias, outcome reporting bias and p-hacking) have been well documented in clinical research, but relatively little is known about their presence and extent in health services research (HSR). Publication bias is a major concern in health care as biased evidence available to decision makers may lead to suboptimal decisions that a) negatively impact on the care and the health of patients and b) lead to an inefficient and inequitable allocation of scarce resources. This problem has been documented extensively in the clinical research literature [2, 4, 5], and several high-profile cases of non-publication of studies showing unfavourable results have led to the introduction of mandatory prospective registration of clinical trials [6]. A recent methodological study of Cochrane reviews of HSR topics found that less than one in 10 of the reviews explicitly assessed publication bias [7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
