Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40967198›Full record

SynthesisPharmacoepidemiology and drug safety2025

A Systematic Review of Algorithms for Identifying Pediatric Neurodevelopmental Outcomes.

Sandra Lopez-Leon, Xuerong Wen, Sneha Gaitonde, Ana Sofia Afonso, Sandrine Colas, Rachael L DiSantostefano, Marie-Laure Kürzinger, Maryline Le Noan-Lainé, Vera Ruth Mitter, Gayle Murray and 5 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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

15 authors.

Sandra Lopez-LeonQuantitative Safety & Epidemiology, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, East Hanover, New Jersey, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7504-3441
Xuerong WenHealth Outcomes Research, Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4803-7895
Sneha GaitondeRutgers Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
Ana Sofia AfonsoEli Lilly Nederland BV, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Sandrine ColasEpidemiology and Benefit Risk, Global R&D, Sanofi, Toronto, Canada.
Rachael L DiSantostefanoJanssen Research & Development LLC, Titusville, New Jersey, USA.
Marie-Laure KürzingerEpidemiology and Benefit Risk, Global R&D, Sanofi, Paris, France.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2606-776X
Maryline Le Noan-LainéEli Lilly and Company, Cork, Ireland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6616-6685
Vera Ruth MitterUniversity of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1483-5020
Gayle MurrayJanssen Research & Development LLC, Titusville, New Jersey, USA.
Meritxell SabidóDepartment of Epidemiology, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
Julie ScottoBristol Myers Squibb, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
Melanie H JacobsonJanssen Research & Development LLC, Titusville, New Jersey, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2236-7714
Rebecca L BromleyDivision of Neuroscience, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Amir SarayaniJanssen Research & Development LLC, Titusville, New Jersey, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeInvestigating pediatric neurodevelopmental outcomes (NDO) in studies using secondary data is often challenging due to heterogeneous clinical definitions and medical coding systems. This study aims to identify the algorithms used to define NDO in studies using electronic healthcare data through a systematic literature review.

methodsA search strategy was developed to identify studies on NDO that describe phenotype algorithms from January 1, 2010, to March 10, 2025. The search strategy included terms to identify studies containing algorithms for NDO as an outcome, routinely collected healthcare data, epidemiologic designs likely to incorporate algorithms, and pregnant individuals and/or infants/children. Two independent reviewers assessed eligibility criteria and performed data extraction, with inconsistencies reviewed by a third reviewer. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize categorical and continuous variables appropriately.

resultsThe review included 156 publications that implemented algorithms for NDO, with 18 of these studies validating the outcomes. Most publications studied autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (n = 103, 65.6%) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (n = 72, 45.9%) either as a single outcome or as a composite.

conclusionsInstead of presenting NDO as a composite outcome, it is recommended to present multiple single outcomes. Validated outcomes in data from Nordic countries demonstrate a high positive predictive value when using one code for diagnoses, while more complex algorithms are required for US data. Clearly detailing and establishing the time of assessment for each NDO is critical to inform valid epidemiological estimates.

Indexed as

AlgorithmsAttention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityAutism Spectrum DisorderNeurodevelopmental DisordersChildElectronic Health RecordsFemaleHumansInfantPregnancyattention‐deficit hyperactivity disorderautismneurodevelopmentalpharmacoepidemiologypregnancyreal‐world evidencevalidation

Identifiers

PMID40967198
PMCPMC12445936

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.