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. 2020 Feb 3;20(1):19.
doi: 10.1186/s12874-020-0915-5.

Development of A Guideline for Reporting Mediation Analyses (AGReMA)

Aidan G Cashin  1   2 , James H McAuley  1   3 , Sarah E Lamb  4   5 , Sally Hopewell  4 , Steven J Kamper  6   7 , Christopher M Williams  7   8 , Nicholas Henschke  9 , Hopin Lee  10   11
Affiliations

Development of A Guideline for Reporting Mediation Analyses (AGReMA)

Aidan G Cashin et al. BMC Med Res Methodol. .

Abstract

Background: There are a growing number of studies using mediation analysis to understand the mechanisms of health interventions and exposures. Recent work has shown that the reporting of these studies is heterogenous and incomplete. This problem stifles clinical application, reproducibility, and evidence synthesis. This paper describes the processes and methods that will be used to develop a guideline for reporting studies of mediation analyses (AGReMA).

Methods/design: AGReMA will be developed over five overlapping stages. Stage one will comprise a systematic review to examine relevant evidence on the quality of reporting in published studies that use mediation analysis. In the second stage we will consult a group of methodologists and applied researchers by using a Delphi process to identify items that should be considered for inclusion in AGReMA. The third stage will involve a consensus meeting to consolidate and prioritise key items to be included in AGReMA. The fourth stage will involve the production of AGReMA and an accompanying explanation and elaboration document. In the final stage we will disseminate the AGReMA statement via journals, conferences, and professional meetings across multiple disciplines.

Discussion: The development and implementation of AGReMA will improve the standardization, transparency, and completeness in the reporting of studies that use mediation analysis to understand the mechanisms of health interventions and exposures.

Keywords: Mechanisms; Mediation analysis; Reporting guideline.

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Conflict of interest statement

AC is supported by the University of New South Wales Prince of Wales Clinical School Postgraduate Research Scholarship and a NeuRA PhD Candidature Supplementary Scholarship, and is a Catalyst for the Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences. HL is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (grant no. APP1126767); National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care Oxford at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust; received project funding from the Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences, a program of the Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), with support from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation; and is a Catalyst for the Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences. SK is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (APP1127932).

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Workflow for the development of AGReMA: A Guideline for Reporting Mediation Analyses
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Cashin AG, Lee H, Lamb SE, Hopewell S, Mansell G, Williams CM, et al. An overview of systematic reviews found suboptimal reporting and methodological limitations of mediation studies investigating causal mechanisms. J Clin Epidemiol. 2019;111:60–78. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2019.03.005. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Nguyen TQ, Schmid I, Stuart EA. Clarifying causal mediation analysis for the applied researcher: defining effects based on what we want to learn. 2019. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lee H, Herbert RD, Lamb SE, Moseley AM, McAuley JH. Investigating causal mechanisms in randomised controlled trials. Trials. 2019;20:524. doi: 10.1186/s13063-019-3593-z. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lee Hopin, Herbert Robert D., McAuley James H. Mediation Analysis. JAMA. 2019;321(7):697. doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.21973. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Liu S, Ulbricht CM, Chrysanthopoulou SA, Lapane KL. Implementation and reporting of causal mediation analysis in 2015: a systematic review in epidemiological studies. BMC Res Notes. 2016;9:354. doi: 10.1186/s13104-016-2163-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

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