Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29656588›Full record

ArticleHIV medicine2018

The use of funnel plots with regression as a tool to visually compare HIV treatment outcomes between centres adjusting for patient characteristics and size: a UK Collaborative HIV Cohort study.

M Gompels, S Michael, S Jose, T Hill, R Trevelion, C A Sabin, M T May

Abstract readComparative StudyMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in HIV medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

M GompelsSouthmead Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust, Department of Immunology, Bristol, UK.
S MichaelSchool of Mathematics, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
S JoseResearch Department of Infection and Population Health, Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK.
T HillResearch Department of Infection and Population Health, Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK.
R TrevelionHIV i-Base, London, UK.
C A SabinResearch Department of Infection and Population Health, Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK.
M T MayDepartment of Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9733-1003

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/M004236/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesA measure used for assessing the effectiveness of HIV care and comparing clinical centres is the proportion of people starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) with viral suppression (VS) after 1 year. We propose a method that adjusts for patients' demographic characteristics, and visually compares this measure between different sites accounting for centre size.

methodsWe analysed viral load measurements for UK Collaborative HIV Cohort (UK CHIC) patients starting ART between 2006 and 2013. We used logistic regression to estimate the proportion with VS after 1 year of ART adjusted for patient mix (in terms of age and a combined gender/ethnicity/acquisition mode variable) and calendar year. We compared outcomes between centres using funnel plots which account for centre size.

resultsThe overall proportion of the cohort with VS 1 year after starting ART was 90% and increased from 83% to 93% between 2006 and 2013. VS was lower in younger individuals. White men who have sex with men (MSM) had the highest (94%), and black African (81%) and white (82%) heterosexual women the lowest proportions achieving VS. Comparing the unadjusted funnel plot with the adjusted, there were movements of some centres from outside to inside the 95% contour limits, which was largely explained by the patient mix of these centres.

conclusionsVS 1 year after ART start was associated with demographic characteristics and centre size; therefore, to compare the performances of centres, adjustment for these factors is required. Adjusted funnel plot is an effective tool which accounts for both the demographic characteristics and the centre size. Social factors, rather than treatment decisions within the control of the centres, may drive differences in outcomes.

Indexed as

AdultAnti-HIV AgentsBenchmarkingCD4 Lymphocyte CountCohort StudiesData Interpretation, StatisticalDecision Support TechniquesEthnicityFemaleHIV InfectionsHumansMaleMiddle AgedSexual and Gender MinoritiesSustained Virologic ResponseTreatment OutcomeAnti-HIV Agentsantiviral therapyfunnel plotHIVquality of careviral suppression

Identifiers

PMID29656588
PMCPMC6032937

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.