“
TL;DR
The central finding is that reporting of the linkage process is poor and inconsistent across studies, which may introduce bias and lead to inaccurate inferences.
BMJ Open · 4 authors, 3 centres
This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.
The central finding is that reporting of the linkage process is poor and inconsistent across studies, which may introduce bias and lead to inaccurate inferences.
The authors assessed the transparency and completeness of reporting for the data linkage process, including linkage variables, methods, quality checks, and potential biases. The main themes for reported data issues were misclassification and missingness. The authors conclude that poor reporting limits the assessment of linkage bias and its potential impact on research results, highlighting a need for better adherence to existing reporting guidelines. Limitations include the restriction to multimorbidity research and potential selection bias, as some relevant studies may not have been identified.