Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
Volume 63, Issue 2 , Pages 139-140 , February 2010

Propensity score analysis with a time-dependent intervention is an acceptable although not an optimal analytical approach when treatment selection bias and survivor bias coexist

  • Imad M. Tleyjeh

      Affiliations

    • Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, and Research Center, King Fahd Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
    • Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Research Center, King Fahd Medical City, PO Box 59046, Riyadh 11525, Saudi Arabia. Tel.: +966-1-465-6666 ext. 4434.
    • ,
  • Hassan M.K. Ghomrawi

      Affiliations

    • Division of Health Policy, Department of Public Health, Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
    • ,
  • James M. Steckelberg

      Affiliations

    • Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
    • ,
  • Victor M. Montori

      Affiliations

    • Knowledge and Encounter Research Unit, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
    • ,
  • Tanya L. Hoskin

      Affiliations

    • Division of Biostatistics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
    • ,
  • Felicity Enders

      Affiliations

    • Division of Biostatistics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
    • ,
  • W. Charles Huskins

      Affiliations

    • Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
    • ,
  • Farouk Mookadam

      Affiliations

    • Division of Cardiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
    • ,
  • Walter R. Wilson

      Affiliations

    • Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
    • ,
  • Valerie Zimmerman

      Affiliations

    • Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, and Research Center, King Fahd Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
    • ,
  • Larry M. Baddour

      Affiliations

    • Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

,Accepted 31 July 2009.

References 

  1. Austin PC, Platt RW. Survivor treatment bias, treatment selection bias, and propensity scores in observational research. J Clin Epidemiol 2010;63:136–8 [in this issue].
  2. Tleyjeh IM, Ghomrawi HMK, Steckelberg JM, Montori VM, Hoskin TL, Enders F, et al. Conclusion about the association between valve surgery and mortality in an infective endocarditis cohort changed after adjusting for survivor bias. J Clin Epidemiol 2010;63:130–5. [in this issue].
  3. Tleyjeh IM, Kashour T, Zimmerman V, Steckelberg JM, Wilson WR, Baddour LM. The role of valve surgery in infective endocarditis management: a systematic review of observational studies that included propensity score analysis. Am Heart J. 2008;156:901–909[Epub September 11, 2008]
  4. Tleyjeh IM, Ghomrawi HM, Steckelberg JM, Hoskin TL, Mirzoyev Z, Anavekar NS, et al. The impact of valve surgery on 6-month mortality in left-sided infective endocarditis. Circulation. 2007;115:1721–1728[Epub March 19, 2007]
  5. Zhou Z, Rahme E, Abrahamowicz M, Pilote L. Survival bias associated with time-to-treatment initiation in drug effectiveness evaluation: a comparison of methods. Am J Epidemiol. 2005;162:1016–1023[Epub September 28, 2005]
  6. Robins JM, Hernán MA, Brumback B. Marginal structural models and causal inference in epidemiology. Epidemiology. 2000;11:550–560
  7. Shah BR, Laupacis A, Hux JE, Austin PC. Propensity score methods gave similar results to traditional regression modeling in observational studies: a systematic review. J Clin Epidemiol. 2005;58:550–559[Epub April 19, 2005]
  8. Stürmer T, Joshi M, Glynn RJ, Avorn J, Rothman KJ, Schneeweiss S. A review of the application of propensity score methods yielded increasing use, advantages in specific settings, but not substantially different estimates compared with conventional multivariable methods. J Clin Epidemiol. 2006;59:437–447[Epub October 13, 2005]

PII: S0895-4356(09)00248-0

doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2009.07.017

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
Volume 63, Issue 2 , Pages 139-140 , February 2010

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