Methods for Constructing and Assessing Propensity Scores

2014/04/30 by Melissa M. Garrido, Amy S. Kelley, Julia Paris +5 · 32 citations
Mathematics · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Decision Sciences · #Advanced Causal Inference Techniques #Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life #Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics

paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/1475-6773.12182

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To model the steps involved in preparing for and carrying out propensity score analyses by providing step-by-step guidance and Stata code applied to an empirical dataset. STUDY DESIGN: Guidance, Stata code, and empirical examples are given to illustrate (1) the process of choosing variables to include in the propensity score; (2) balance of propensity score across treatment and comparison groups; (3) balance of covariates across treatment and comparison groups within blocks of the propensity score; (4) choice of matching and weighting strategies; (5) balance of covariates after matching or weighting the sample; and (6) interpretation of treatment effect estimates. EMPIRICAL APPLICATION: We use data from the Palliative Care for Cancer Patients (PC4C) study, a multisite observational study of the effect of inpatient palliative care on patient health outcomes and health services use, to illustrate the development and use of a propensity score. CONCLUSIONS: Propensity scores are one useful tool for accounting for observed differences between treated and comparison groups. Careful testing of propensity scores is required before using them to estimate treatment effects.

Citations

• Variable Selection for Propensity Score Models

Cited by

• Optimal Timing of Physician Visits after Hospital Discharge to Reduce Readmission
• Does adolescent experience influence mobility later in life? A propensity score matching approach
• Short versus long treatment duration for streptococcal bloodstream infection
• Applying machine learning to identify unrecognized COVID-19 deaths recorded as other causes of death in the United States
• Accounting for Coercion: Sterilization, Dissatisfaction, and Routine Reproductive Injustice in India
• Recovery Potential in Patients Who Died After Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Treatment: A TRACK-TBI Propensity Score Analysis
• Interpretable Clinical Classification with Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks
• Prospective Cohort Study of Hospital Palliative Care Teams for Inpatients With Advanced Cancer: Earlier Consultation Is Associated With Larger Cost-Saving Effect. [europepmc]
• Hospitals In 'Magnet' Program Show Better Patient Outcomes On Mortality Measures Compared To Non-'Magnet' Hospitals. [europepmc]
• Methylprednisolone for the Treatment of Patients with Acute Spinal Cord Injuries: A Propensity Score-Matched Cohort Study from a Canadian Multi-Center Spinal Cord Injury Registry. [europepmc]
• Palliative Care Teams' Cost-Saving Effect Is Larger For Cancer Patients With Higher Numbers Of Comorbidities. [europepmc]
• Effect of pay for performance to improve quality of maternal and child care in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review. [europepmc]
• Insecurity, distress and mental health: experimental and randomized controlled trials of a psychosocial intervention for youth affected by the Syrian crisis. [europepmc]
• African-American race and mortality in interstitial lung disease: a multicentre propensity-matched analysis. [europepmc]
• Association of a Bundled Hospital-at-Home and 30-Day Postacute Transitional Care Program With Clinical Outcomes and Patient Experiences. [europepmc]
• Rural-urban disparities in health care costs and health service utilization following pediatric mild traumatic brain injury. [europepmc]
• Impact of palliative home care support on the quality and costs of care at the end of life: a population-level matched cohort study. [europepmc]
• Risk of severe maternal morbidity associated with cesarean delivery and the role of maternal age: a population-based propensity score analysis. [europepmc]
• Emulating a Novel Clinical Trial Using Existing Observational Data. Predicting Results of the PreVent Study. [europepmc]
• Electronic consultations (E-consults) and their outcomes: a systematic review. [europepmc]
• Depression in the house: The effects of household air pollution from solid fuel use among the middle-aged and older population in China. [europepmc]
• A review of the use of propensity score diagnostics in papers published in high-ranking medical journals. [europepmc]
• Comparative Safety and Effectiveness of Oral Anticoagulants in Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation: The NAXOS Study. [europepmc]
• The association between long-term exposure to low-level PM2.5 and mortality in the state of Queensland, Australia: A modelling study with the difference-in-differences approach. [europepmc]
• Use of hydroxychloroquine in hospitalised COVID-19 patients is associated with reduced mortality: Findings from the observational multicentre Italian CORIST study. [europepmc]
• Outcomes following SARS-CoV-2 infection in liver transplant recipients: an international registry study. [europepmc]
• Outcomes following SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with chronic liver disease: An international registry study. [europepmc]
• Statin Use and In-Hospital Mortality in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus and COVID-19. [europepmc]
• SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with autoimmune hepatitis. [europepmc]
• Influenza Vaccination and COVID-19 Mortality in the USA: An Ecological Study. [europepmc]
• Statin Discontinuation and Cardiovascular Events Among Older People in Denmark. [europepmc]
• Delays Related to Prior Authorization in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. [europepmc]

Related

• An Introduction to Propensity Score Methods for Reducing the Effects of Confounding in Observational Studies
• A Tutorial and Case Study in Propensity Score Analysis: An Application to Estimating the Effect of In-Hospital Smoking Cessation Counseling on Mortality
• Invited Commentary: Propensity Scores
• The use of propensity score methods with survival or time‐to‐event outcomes: reporting measures of effect similar to those used in randomized experiments
• Balance diagnostics for comparing the distribution of baseline covariates between treatment groups in propensity‐score matched samples