Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35262492›Full record

ArticleJMIR medical informatics2022

Deriving Weight From Big Data: Comparison of Body Weight Measurement-Cleaning Algorithms.

Richard Evans, Jennifer Burns, Laura Damschroder, Ann Annis, Michelle B Freitag, Susan Raffa, Wyndy Wiitala

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR medical informatics, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

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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

7 authors.

Richard EvansCenter for Clinical Management Research, Veterans Health Administration, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5942-6036
Jennifer BurnsCenter for Clinical Management Research, Veterans Health Administration, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6059-116X
Laura DamschroderCenter for Clinical Management Research, Veterans Health Administration, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3657-8459
Ann AnnisCenter for Clinical Management Research, Veterans Health Administration, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4243-8441
Michelle B FreitagCenter for Clinical Management Research, Veterans Health Administration, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6250-0834
Susan RaffaNational Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Veterans Health Administration, Durham, NC, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9020-5824
Wyndy WiitalaCenter for Clinical Management Research, Veterans Health Administration, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2962-383X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPatient body weight is a frequently used measure in biomedical studies, yet there are no standard methods for processing and cleaning weight data. Conflicting documentation on constructing body weight measurements presents challenges for research and program evaluation.

objectiveIn this study, we aim to describe and compare methods for extracting and cleaning weight data from electronic health record databases to develop guidelines for standardized approaches that promote reproducibility.

methodsWe conducted a systematic review of studies published from 2008 to 2018 that used Veterans Health Administration electronic health record weight data and documented the algorithms for constructing patient weight. We applied these algorithms to a cohort of veterans with at least one primary care visit in 2016. The resulting weight measures were compared at the patient and site levels.

resultsWe identified 496 studies and included 62 (12.5%) that used weight as an outcome. Approximately 48% (27/62) included a replicable algorithm. Algorithms varied from cutoffs of implausible weights to complex models using measures within patients over time. We found differences in the number of weight values after applying the algorithms (71,961/1,175,995, 6.12% to 1,175,177/1,175,995, 99.93% of raw data) but little difference in average weights across methods (93.3, SD 21.0 kg to 94.8, SD 21.8 kg). The percentage of patients with at least 5% weight loss over 1 year ranged from 9.37% (4933/52,642) to 13.99% (3355/23,987).

conclusionsContrasting algorithms provide similar results and, in some cases, the results are not different from using raw, unprocessed data despite algorithm complexity. Studies using point estimates of weight may benefit from a simple cleaning rule based on cutoffs of implausible values; however, research questions involving weight trajectories and other, more complex scenarios may benefit from a more nuanced algorithm that considers all available weight data.

Indexed as

algorithmselectronic health recordmeasurementobesityveteransweight

Identifiers

PMID35262492
PMCPMC8943548

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