Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia.
Prince of Wales Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
BMC Med Res Methodol. 2020 Feb 3;20(1):19. doi: 10.1186/s12874-020-0915-5.
There are a growing number of studies using mediation analysis to understand the mechanisms of health interventions and exposures. Recent work has shown that the reporting of these studies is heterogenous and incomplete. This problem stifles clinical application, reproducibility, and evidence synthesis. This paper describes the processes and methods that will be used to develop a guideline for reporting studies of mediation analyses (AGReMA).
METHODS/DESIGN: AGReMA will be developed over five overlapping stages. Stage one will comprise a systematic review to examine relevant evidence on the quality of reporting in published studies that use mediation analysis. In the second stage we will consult a group of methodologists and applied researchers by using a Delphi process to identify items that should be considered for inclusion in AGReMA. The third stage will involve a consensus meeting to consolidate and prioritise key items to be included in AGReMA. The fourth stage will involve the production of AGReMA and an accompanying explanation and elaboration document. In the final stage we will disseminate the AGReMA statement via journals, conferences, and professional meetings across multiple disciplines.
The development and implementation of AGReMA will improve the standardization, transparency, and completeness in the reporting of studies that use mediation analysis to understand the mechanisms of health interventions and exposures.
越来越多的研究采用中介分析来理解健康干预和暴露的机制。最近的研究表明，这些研究的报告存在异质性和不完整性。这个问题阻碍了临床应用、可重复性和证据综合。本文描述了制定用于报告中介分析研究的指南（AGReMA）的过程和方法。
方法/设计：AGReMA 将分五个重叠阶段开发。第一阶段将进行系统综述，以检查有关使用中介分析的已发表研究报告质量的相关证据。在第二阶段，我们将通过德尔菲法咨询一组方法学家和应用研究人员，以确定应考虑纳入 AGReMA 的项目。第三阶段将涉及共识会议，以整合和确定纳入 AGReMA 的关键项目。第四阶段将涉及 AGReMA 的制作以及配套的解释和说明文件。在最后阶段，我们将通过期刊、会议和专业会议在多个学科领域传播 AGReMA 声明。
AGReMA 的制定和实施将提高使用中介分析来理解健康干预和暴露机制的研究报告的标准化、透明度和完整性。
