Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34591185›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of legal medicine2022

Analysis of interrater reliability in age assessment of minors: how does expertise influence the evaluation?

Lorenzo Franceschetti, Vera Gloria Merelli, Susanna Corona, Francesca Magli, Lidia Maggioni, Marco Cummaudo, Stefania Tritella, Danilo De Angelis, Cristina Cattaneo

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of legal medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–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

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

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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

9 authors.

Lorenzo FranceschettiLABANOF, Laboratorio Di Antropologia E Odontologia Forense, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Via Luigi Mangiagalli 37, 20133, Milan, Italy. lorenzo.franceschetti@unibs.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0887-0708
Vera Gloria MerelliLABANOF, Laboratorio Di Antropologia E Odontologia Forense, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Via Luigi Mangiagalli 37, 20133, Milan, Italy.
Susanna CoronaLABANOF, Laboratorio Di Antropologia E Odontologia Forense, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Via Luigi Mangiagalli 37, 20133, Milan, Italy.
Francesca MagliLABANOF, Laboratorio Di Antropologia E Odontologia Forense, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Via Luigi Mangiagalli 37, 20133, Milan, Italy.
Lidia MaggioniLABANOF, Laboratorio Di Antropologia E Odontologia Forense, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Via Luigi Mangiagalli 37, 20133, Milan, Italy.
Marco CummaudoLABANOF, Laboratorio Di Antropologia E Odontologia Forense, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Via Luigi Mangiagalli 37, 20133, Milan, Italy.
Stefania TritellaUnit of Radiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Via Morandi 30, San Donato Milanese, 20097, Milan, Italy.
Danilo De AngelisLABANOF, Laboratorio Di Antropologia E Odontologia Forense, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Via Luigi Mangiagalli 37, 20133, Milan, Italy.
Cristina CattaneoLABANOF, Laboratorio Di Antropologia E Odontologia Forense, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Via Luigi Mangiagalli 37, 20133, Milan, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Nowadays, the clinical forensic medical management of migration flows comprises the age assessment of unaccompanied minors. The process of age estimation is a fundamental pillar for legally ensuring the minors' rights and their protection needs. The procedure is complex and involves different phases and actors, from medical doctors to law enforcement officers. The present study aimed to investigate the performance of Greulich and Pyle, Demirjian, and Mincer methods when performed by raters both trained and without training. Also, the interrater reliability within groups of raters from different areas of expertise was evaluated. A total of 36 participants were enrolled for this study, divided in two groups according to their level of experience with age estimation methods. Each rater was asked to allocate stages and standards for age assessment, evaluating ten orthopantomograms and ten hand-wrist roentgenograms. The interrater reliability expressed through the Fleiss Kappa coefficient and the agreement with the reference standard were calculated. The results showed that none of the categories analyzed could reach a good interrater reliability (ĸ > 0.8) for both methods. The study results highlighted variation and disagreement in the interpretation of the sample among raters and in the subsequent stages and standards allocation. In conclusion, the results of this study highlight that expertise does influence the reliability of the most utilized methods of age estimation of living individuals and stress the importance of proper training and practice, which could greatly increase the accuracy of age assessments.

Indexed as

Forensic MedicineMinorsHumansObserver VariationRadiography, PanoramicReproducibility of ResultsAge assessmentClinical forensic medicineForensic anthropologyInterrater reliabilityUnaccompanied minors

Identifiers

PMID34591185
PMCPMC8813704

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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.