Propensity Scores in Pharmacoepidemiology: Beyond the Horizon.

Journal: Current epidemiology reports
Published Date:

Abstract

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Propensity score methods have become commonplace in pharmacoepidemiology over the past decade. Their adoption has confronted formidable obstacles that arise from pharmacoepidemiology's reliance on large healthcare databases of considerable heterogeneity and complexity. These include identifying clinically meaningful samples, defining treatment comparisons, and measuring covariates in ways that respect sound epidemiologic study design. Additional complexities involve correctly modeling treatment decisions in the face of variation in healthcare practice, and dealing with missing information and unmeasured confounding. In this review, we examine the application of propensity score methods in pharmacoepidemiology with particular attention to these and other issues, with an eye towards standards of practice, recent methodological advances, and opportunities for future progress.

Authors

  • John W Jackson
    Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205.
  • Ian Schmid
    Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205.
  • Elizabeth A Stuart
    Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205.

Keywords

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