ReviewBMC medical research methodology2022
The reporting and handling of missing data in longitudinal studies of older adults is suboptimal: a methodological survey of geriatric journals.
Review in BMC medical research methodology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Global research trends, reporting and handling of missing data in observational studies of type 2 diabetes mellitus with mild cognitive impairment from 2020 to 2025: a systematic review.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of interventions for the management of sleep disturbances in patients with long COVID: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2025Pooled it
- The reporting and handling of missing data in genetic epidemiological studies of mental health in childhood and adolescence: A systematic review.JCPP advances · 2026Article
- The disability and care squeeze: the effects of children's disability and special healthcare needs on parents' employment in Australia.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2026Article
- Serum calcium levels are independently associated with severe coronary artery stenosis combined with severe cerebral artery stenosis.BMC neurology · 2026Article
- Trajectories of cognitive ability and attitudes toward own aging in older adults: a conditional parallel latent growth model.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Personality traits and end-of-life planning in older adults: insights from a population-based survey.European journal of ageing · 2026Article
- Missing data and imputation in the international studies following the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026Article
- Difference in out-of-pocket health expenditure among Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and the Kurdistan region of Iraq.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- Omitting patients with no follow-up leads to bias when using inverse-intensity weighted GEEs to handle irregular and informative assessment times.BMC medical research methodology · 2025Article
- Missing Data in OHCA Registries: How Imputation Methods Affect Research Conclusions-Paper I.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Postural and cervical proprioceptive implications in adult humans with ankyloglossia: an observational study.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2025Observational
- Development of a standardized single-session cardiopulmonary exercise test for combined assessment of peak oxygen uptake and on/off-kinetics.Experimental physiology · 2025Article
- Clinical and Developmental Outcomes After 50 Years of Newborn Bloodspot Screening for Classical Galactosaemia in the Republic of Ireland.JIMD reports · 2025Article
- Mind the Gaps: Literature Survey Reveals Shortcomings in Handling Missing Data in Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), a UK Primary Care Health Records Database.Clinical epidemiology · 2025Article
- Unilateral magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound for medication-refractory essential tremor: 5-year continued access study.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- Gaps in the usage and reporting of multiple imputation for incomplete data: findings from a scoping review of observational studies addressing causal questions.BMC medical research methodology · 2024Article
- Disaggregating between- and within-person associations of mastery and cognitive function: age as a moderator.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
- Computable phenotype for real-world, data-driven retrospective identification of relapse in ANCA-associated vasculitis.RMD open · 2024Article
- Quantifying bias due to missing data in quality of life surveys of advanced-stage cancer patients.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMissing data are common in longitudinal studies, and more so, in studies of older adults, who are susceptible to health and functional decline that limit completion of assessments. We assessed the extent, current reporting, and handling of missing data in longitudinal studies of older adults.
methodsMedline and Embase databases were searched from 2015 to 2019 for publications on longitudinal observational studies conducted among persons ≥55 years old. The search was restricted to 10 general geriatric journals published in English. Reporting and handling of missing data were assessed using questions developed from the recommended standards. Data were summarised descriptively as frequencies and proportions.
resultsA total of 165 studies were included in the review from 7032 identified records. In approximately half of the studies 97 (62.5%), there was either no comment on missing data or unclear descriptions. The percentage of missing data varied from 0.1 to 55%, with a 14% average among the studies that reported having missing data. Complete case analysis was the most common method for handling missing data with nearly 75% of the studies (n = 52) excluding individual observations due to missing data, at the initial phase of study inclusion or at the analysis stage. Of the 10 studies where multiple imputation was used, only 1 (10.0%) study followed the guideline for reporting the procedure fully using online supplementary documents.
conclusionThe current reporting and handling of missing data in longitudinal observational studies of older adults are inadequate. Journal endorsement and implementation of guidelines may potentially improve the quality of missing data reporting. Further, authors should be encouraged to use online supplementary files to provide additional details on how missing data were addressed, to allow for more transparency and comprehensive appraisal of studies.
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Registered trials
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