“
“Background: Systematic reviews have been challenged to
consider effects on disadvantaged groups. A priori specification of subgroup analyses is recommended to increase the credibility of these analyses. This study aimed to develop and assess inter-rater agreement for an algorithm for systematic review authors to predict whether differences in effect measures are likely for disadvantaged populations relative to advantaged populations (only relative effect measures were addressed).
Methods: A health equity plausibility algorithm was developed using clinimetric methods with three items based on literature review, key informant interviews and methodology studies. The three items dealt with the plausibility of differences in relative effects across
sex or AZD9291 Protein Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor socioeconomic status (SES) due to: 1) patient characteristics; 2) intervention delivery (i.e., implementation); and 3) comparators. Thirty-five respondents (consisting of clinicians, methodologists and research users) assessed the likelihood of differences across sex and SES for ten systematic reviews with these questions. We assessed inter-rater reliability using Fleiss multi-rater kappa.
Results: The proportion agreement was 66% for patient characteristics (95% confidence interval: 61%-71%), 67% for intervention delivery (95% confidence interval: 62% to 72%) and 55% for the comparator (95% confidence interval: 50% to 60%). Inter-rater kappa, assessed with Fleiss kappa, ranged from 0 to 0.199, representing very low agreement beyond chance.
Conclusions: Users of systematic selleck products reviews rated that important differences in relative effects across sex and socioeconomic status were plausible for a range of individual
and population-level interventions. However, there was very low inter-rater agreement for these assessments. There is an unmet need for discussion of plausibility of differential effects in systematic reviews. Increased consideration of external validity VX-680 chemical structure and applicability to different populations and settings is warranted in systematic reviews to meet this need.”
“OBJECTIVES: A prospective cohort study was conducted among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected inpatients with tuberculosis (TB) or other opportunistic infections (OIs) in South Africa to estimate subsequent antiretroviral therapy (ART) uptake and survival.
METHODS: Logistic regression modeling explored associations between baseline characteristics and starting ART, and ART exposure-adjusted incidence of death was estimated over 6 months of follow-up.
RESULTS: Among 49 participants enrolled, median CD4 cell count at hospital discharge was 42 cells/mu l and the most common presenting OIs were TB (76%), Pneumocystis pneumonia (8%), chronic diarrhea (8%), cryptococcal meningitis (6%), and Toxoplasma gondii (4%). By 6 months, only 20 (45%) patients had initiated ART, and four (8%) were lost to follow-up.