Antivirals for Treatment of Influenza
Authors: Holger J. Schünemann
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2012)

Letters4 September 2012Antivirals for Treatment of InfluenzaHolger J. Schünemann, MD, MSc, PhD, Nancy Santesso, MLIS, RD, and Jan Brozek, MD, on behalf of the Antivirals for Treatment of Influenza Observational Studies GroupHolger J. Schünemann, MD, MSc, PhDFrom McMaster University Health Sciences Center, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 4K1, Canada.Search for more papers by this author, Nancy Santesso, MLIS, RDFrom McMaster University Health Sciences Center, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 4K1, Canada.Search for more papers by this author, and Jan Brozek, MDFrom McMaster University Health Sciences Center, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 4K1, Canada.Search for more papers by this author, on behalf of the Antivirals for Treatment of Influenza Observational Studies GroupSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-157-5-201209040-00018 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We already described many of the issues raised by Dr. Jones and Dr. Heneghan and their respective colleagues, including the large potential for selection bias in our systematic review mentioned by Dr. Jones and coworkers. Although we agree that survivor treatment selection bias can be eliminated by modeling, “it can simultaneously lead to a different bias in the opposite direction because sicker patients may be more likely to initiate treatment at any given time” (1). The inclusion of data from abstracts was part of our a priori protocol, independent of study results. We did this to reduce potential ...References1. Glesby MJ, Hoover DR. Survivor treatment selection bias in observational studies: examples from the AIDS literature. Ann Intern Med. 1996;124:999-1005. [PMID: 8624068] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Hsu J, Santesso N, Mustafa R, Brozek J, Chen YL, Hopkins JP, et al. Antivirals for treatment of influenza: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Ann Intern Med. 2012;156:512-24. [PMID: 22371849] LinkGoogle Scholar3. Schünemann H, Ghersi D, Kreis J, Antes G, Bousquet J. Reporting research: are we in for better health care by 2020?. In: Gigerenzer G, eds. Better Doctors, Better Patients, Better Decisions: Envisioning Healthcare 2020. Cambridge, MA: MIT Pr; 2011:83-102. Google Scholar4. Guyatt GH, Oxman AD, Schünemann HJ, Tugwell P, Knottnerus A. GRADE guidelines: a new series of articles in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. J Clin Epidemiol. 2011;64:380-2. [PMID: 21185693] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Uyeki T. 2011-2012 Influenza Season: Antiviral Medication Recommendations. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2012. Accessed at www.bt.cdc.gov/coca/calls/2012/callinfo_022812.asp on 27 July 2012. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Holger J. Schünemann, MD, MSc, PhD; Nancy Santesso, MLIS, RD; Jan Brozek, MDAffiliations: From McMaster University Health Sciences Center, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 4K1, Canada.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M11-3115. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoAntivirals for Treatment of Influenza Jonathan Hsu , Nancy Santesso , Reem Mustafa , Jan Brozek , Yao Long Chen , Jessica P. Hopkins , Adrienne Cheung , Gayane Hovhannisyan , Liudmila Ivanova , Signe A. Flottorp , Ingvil Sæterdal , Arthur D. Wong , Jinhui Tian , Timothy M. Uyeki , Elie A. Akl , Pablo Alonso-Coello , Fiona Smaill , and Holger J. Schünemann Antivirals for Treatment of Influenza Mark A. Jones , Rokuro Hama , and Chris Del Mar Antivirals for Treatment of Influenza Carl Heneghan , Tom Jefferson , and Peter Doshi Metrics 4 September 2012Volume 157, Issue 5Page: 386-387KeywordsDecision makingDisclosureGrading of Recommendations Assessment Development and EvaluationHealth careHealth care qualityHealth services researchObservational studiesPopulation statisticsResearch quality assessmentSystematic reviews ePublished: 4 September 2012 Issue Published: 4 September 2012 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2012 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...