Conducting observational analyses with the target trial emulation approach: a methodological systematic review.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Target trial emulation is an approach that is increasingly used to improve transparency in observational studies and help mitigate biases. For studies declaring that they emulated a target trial, we aimed to evaluate the specification of the target trial, examine its consistency with the observational emulation and assess the risk of bias in the observational analysis.

Design

Methodological systematic review reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement.

Data sources

The database MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online) was interrogated for all studies published from 1 January 2021 to 3 July 2022. We performed an additional manual search of 20 general medical and special

SUBMITTER: Simon-Tillaux N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11574403 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature