Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35962310›Full record

Trial reportBMC medical research methodology2022

Evaluating the impact of calibration of patient-reported outcomes measures on results from randomized clinical trials: a simulation study based on Rasch measurement theory.

Angély Loubert, Antoine Regnault, Véronique Sébille, Jean-Benoit Hardouin

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report 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 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. 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

4 authors.

Angély LoubertModus Outcomes, a division of THREAD, Lyon, France. angely.loubert@modusoutcomes.com.
Antoine RegnaultModus Outcomes, a division of THREAD, Lyon, France.
Véronique SébilleUMR INSERM 1246 - SPHERE, Nantes, France.
Jean-Benoit HardouinUMR INSERM 1246 - SPHERE, Nantes, France.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMeaningfully interpreting patient-reported outcomes (PRO) results from randomized clinical trials requires that the PRO scores obtained in the trial have the same meaning across patients and previous applications of the PRO instrument. Calibration of PRO instruments warrants this property. In the Rasch measurement theory (RMT) framework, calibration is performed by fixing the item parameter estimates when measuring the targeted concept for each individual of the trial. The item parameter estimates used for this purpose are typically obtained from a previous "calibration" study. But imposing this constraint on item parameters, instead of freely estimating them directly in the specific sample of the trial, may hamper the ability to detect a treatment effect. The objective of this simulation study was to explore the potential negative impact of calibration of PRO instruments that were developed using RMT on the comparison of results between treatment groups, using different analysis methods.

methodsPRO results were simulated following a polytomous Rasch model, for a calibration and a trial sample. Scenarios included varying sample sizes, with instrument of varying number of items and modalities, and varying item parameters distributions. Different treatment effect sizes and distributions of the two patient samples were also explored. Cross-sectional comparison of treatment groups was performed using different methods based on a random effect Rasch model. Calibrated and non-calibrated approaches were compared based on type-I error, power, bias, and variance of the estimates for the difference between groups.

resultsThere was no impact of the calibration approach on type-I error, power, bias, and dispersion of the estimates. Among other findings, mistargeting between the PRO instrument and patients from the trial sample (regarding the level of measured concept) resulted in a lower power and higher position bias than appropriate targeting.

conclusionsCalibration does not compromise the ability to accurately assess a treatment effect using a PRO instrument developed within the RMT paradigm in randomized clinical trials. Thus, given its essential role in producing interpretable results, calibration should always be performed when using a PRO instrument developed using RMT as an endpoint in a randomized clinical trial.

Indexed as

Patient Reported Outcome MeasuresBiasCalibrationCross-Sectional StudiesHumansPsychometricsSample SizeSurveys and QuestionnairesCalibrationClinical trialsPatient-reported outcomesRasch measurement theory

Identifiers

PMID35962310
PMCPMC9375403

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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.