High-dimensional propensity scores for empirical covariate selection in secondary database studies: planning, implementation, and reporting.

View Abstract

Real-world evidence (RWE) used for regulatory, payer, and clinical decision-making requires principled epidemiology in design and analysis, applying methods to minimize confounding given the lack of randomization. One technique to deal with potential confounding is propensity score (PS) analysis, which allows for the adjustment for measured pre-exposure covariates. Since its first publication in 2009, the high-dimensional propensity score (hdPS) method has emerged as an approach that extends traditional PS covariate selection to include large numbers of covariates that may reduce confounding bias in the analysis of healthcare databases. hdPS is an automated, data-driven analytic approach for covariate selection that empirically identifies pre-exposure variables and proxies to include in the PS model. This paper provides an overview of the hdPS approach and recommendations on the planning, implementation, and reporting of hdPS used for causal treatment-effect estimations in longitudinal healthcare databases. We supply a checklist with key considerations as a supportive decision tool to aid investigators in the implementation and transparent reporting of hdPS techniques, and to aid decision-makers unfamiliar with hdPS in the understanding and interpretation of studies employing this approach. This manuscript is endorsed by the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Investigators
Abbreviation
Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf
Publication Date
2022-11-08
Pubmed ID
36349471
Medium
Print-Electronic
Full Title
High-dimensional propensity scores for empirical covariate selection in secondary database studies: planning, implementation, and reporting.
Authors
Rassen JA, Blin P, Kloss S, Neugebauer RS, Platt RW, Pottegård A, Schneeweiss S, Toh S