Privacy-Protecting Analytical Methods Permit Multivariable-Adjusted Analysis Using Only Aggregate-Level Data in Multi-Center Distributed Data Networks: Results from Empirical Analyses.

By The ArthritisPower TeamNovember 2, 2021December 9th, 2021Research Registry

Protecting privacy while adequately adjusting for a large number of covariates poses methodological challenges for distributed data networks that can enable large-scale epidemiologic studies. Using 2 empirical examples, Li et al. determined that when used in conjunction with confounder summary scores, several combinations of data-sharing approaches and confounding adjustment methods allow researchers to perform multivariable-adjusted analysis using only aggregate-level information from participating sites and produce results identical to or comparable to those from pooled individual-level data analysis which help to protect privacy.

Click here to read more

PatientSpot registry infrastructure was funded through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Award (PCORI Contract Number PPRN-1306-04811). PatientSpot (formerly known as Arthritis Power) was jointly developed by the nonprofit Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF), its associated CreakyJoints arthritis patient community, and rheumatology researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). We reserve the right to change and add sponsors and partner organizations and we also reserve the right to change placement of text on the page. Created by CreakyJoints® patient community in collaboration with patient advocates at Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF) and researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Arthritis Power (now PatientSpot)’s past participation in PCORnet®, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, was supported through multiyear, multimillion-dollar Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute funding awards [PPRN-1306-04811]. Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF), the parent organization of PatientSpot, receives grants, sponsorships and contracts from pharmaceutical manufacturers and private foundations. A full list of GHLF funders is publicly available here: https://www.ghlf.org/our-partners.