Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36812540›Full record

ArticlePLOS digital health2022

Transfer learning for non-image data in clinical research: A scoping review.

Andreas Ebbehoj, Mette Østergaard Thunbo, Ole Emil Andersen, Michala Vilstrup Glindtvad, Adam Hulman

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in PLOS digital health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
28citing 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

28 citing papers in PubMed.

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  6. A Machine Learning Approach to Microcalorimetric Pattern Classification of Pathogens in Synovial Fluid.Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society · 2025
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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

5 authors.

Andreas EbbehojDepartment of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7104-7824
Mette Østergaard ThunboDepartment of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7180-3180
Ole Emil AndersenSteno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4875-1677
Michala Vilstrup GlindtvadSteno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
Adam HulmanSteno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3969-1000

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTransfer learning is a form of machine learning where a pre-trained model trained on a specific task is reused as a starting point and tailored to another task in a different dataset. While transfer learning has garnered considerable attention in medical image analysis, its use for clinical non-image data is not well studied. Therefore, the objective of this scoping review was to explore the use of transfer learning for non-image data in the clinical literature. METHODS AND

findingsWe systematically searched medical databases (PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL) for peer-reviewed clinical studies that used transfer learning on human non-image data. We included 83 studies in the review. More than half of the studies (63%) were published within 12 months of the search. Transfer learning was most often applied to time series data (61%), followed by tabular data (18%), audio (12%) and text (8%). Thirty-three (40%) studies applied an image-based model to non-image data after transforming data into images (e.g. spectrograms). Twenty-nine (35%) studies did not have any authors with a health-related affiliation. Many studies used publicly available datasets (66%) and models (49%), but fewer shared their code (27%).

conclusionsIn this scoping review, we have described current trends in the use of transfer learning for non-image data in the clinical literature. We found that the use of transfer learning has grown rapidly within the last few years. We have identified studies and demonstrated the potential of transfer learning in clinical research in a wide range of medical specialties. More interdisciplinary collaborations and the wider adaption of reproducible research principles are needed to increase the impact of transfer learning in clinical research.

Identifiers

PMID36812540
PMCPMC9931256

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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.