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After adjusting for bias in meta-analysis seasonal influenza vaccine remains effective in community-dwelling elderly

Darvishian, Maryam ; Gefenaite, Giedre LU orcid ; Turner, Rebecca M. ; Pechlivanoglou, Petros and Van der Hoek, Wim (2014) In Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 67(7). p.734-744
Abstract
Objective

To compare the performance of the bias-adjusted meta-analysis to the conventional meta-analysis assessing seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness among community-dwelling elderly aged 60 years and older.
Study Design and Setting

Systematic literature search revealed 14 cohort studies that met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Laboratory-confirmed influenza, influenza-like illness, hospitalization from influenza and/or pneumonia, and all-cause mortality were study outcomes. Potential biases were identified using bias checklists. The magnitude and uncertainty of biases were assessed by expert opinion. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using random effects... (More)
Objective

To compare the performance of the bias-adjusted meta-analysis to the conventional meta-analysis assessing seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness among community-dwelling elderly aged 60 years and older.
Study Design and Setting

Systematic literature search revealed 14 cohort studies that met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Laboratory-confirmed influenza, influenza-like illness, hospitalization from influenza and/or pneumonia, and all-cause mortality were study outcomes. Potential biases were identified using bias checklists. The magnitude and uncertainty of biases were assessed by expert opinion. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using random effects model.
Results

After incorporating biases, overall effect estimates regressed slightly toward no effect, with the largest relative difference between conventional and bias-adjusted ORs for laboratory-confirmed influenza (OR, 0.18; 95% CI: 0.01, 3.00 vs. OR, 0.23; 95% CI: 0.03, 2.04). In most of the studies, CIs widened reflecting uncertainties about the biases. The between-study heterogeneity reduced considerably with the largest reduction for all-cause mortality (I2 = 4%, P = 0.39 vs. I2 = 91%, P < 0.01).
Conclusion

This case study showed that after addressing potential biases influenza vaccine was still estimated effective in preventing hospitalization from influenza and/or pneumonia and all-cause mortality. Increasing the number of assessors and incorporating empirical evidence might improve the new bias-adjustment method. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Meta-analysis, Bias adjustment, Observational studies, Seasonal influenza, Vaccination, Community-dwelling elderly
in
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
volume
67
issue
7
pages
734 - 744
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:84902536554
ISSN
0895-4356
DOI
10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.02.009
project
Newly introduced vaccines: effectiveness and determinants of acceptance
Infectious diseases surveillance, vaccine effectiveness and determinants of acceptance
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
8f857eb4-1b52-4621-9f58-7158b544a74d
alternative location
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895435614000602
date added to LUP
2021-06-10 16:05:05
date last changed
2023-01-01 07:09:50
@article{8f857eb4-1b52-4621-9f58-7158b544a74d,
  abstract     = {{Objective<br>
<br>
To compare the performance of the bias-adjusted meta-analysis to the conventional meta-analysis assessing seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness among community-dwelling elderly aged 60 years and older.<br>
Study Design and Setting<br>
<br>
Systematic literature search revealed 14 cohort studies that met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Laboratory-confirmed influenza, influenza-like illness, hospitalization from influenza and/or pneumonia, and all-cause mortality were study outcomes. Potential biases were identified using bias checklists. The magnitude and uncertainty of biases were assessed by expert opinion. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using random effects model.<br>
Results<br>
<br>
After incorporating biases, overall effect estimates regressed slightly toward no effect, with the largest relative difference between conventional and bias-adjusted ORs for laboratory-confirmed influenza (OR, 0.18; 95% CI: 0.01, 3.00 vs. OR, 0.23; 95% CI: 0.03, 2.04). In most of the studies, CIs widened reflecting uncertainties about the biases. The between-study heterogeneity reduced considerably with the largest reduction for all-cause mortality (I2 = 4%, P = 0.39 vs. I2 = 91%, P &lt; 0.01).<br>
Conclusion<br>
<br>
This case study showed that after addressing potential biases influenza vaccine was still estimated effective in preventing hospitalization from influenza and/or pneumonia and all-cause mortality. Increasing the number of assessors and incorporating empirical evidence might improve the new bias-adjustment method.}},
  author       = {{Darvishian, Maryam and Gefenaite, Giedre and Turner, Rebecca M. and Pechlivanoglou, Petros and Van der Hoek, Wim}},
  issn         = {{0895-4356}},
  keywords     = {{Meta-analysis; Bias adjustment; Observational studies; Seasonal influenza; Vaccination; Community-dwelling elderly}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{734--744}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of Clinical Epidemiology}},
  title        = {{After adjusting for bias in meta-analysis seasonal influenza vaccine remains effective in community-dwelling elderly}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.02.009}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.02.009}},
  volume       = {{67}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}