Workgroup Research Design and Statistical Data Analysis

  • Description
  • Description

    The workgroup Research Design and Statistical Data Analysis (head: Dr. Levente Kriston) exists since 2009 and aims at testing and developing methodological and statistical tools for medical and behavioral sciences.

    The group performs several research projects addressing methodological and statistical issues in the context of:

    • evidence-based medicine and comparative effectiveness research (e.g., clinical trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses),
    • health services research and implementation science (e.g., evaluation of complex interventions and analysis of routinely collected data),
    • medical decision making (e.g., translational science and information processing),
    • psychotherapy research (e.g., process and outcome research),
    • epidemiology (e.g., latent class models and investigations of etiologic factors),
    • as well as outcomes research and psychometric evaluation (e.g., screening, diagnostics, development of questionnaires, measurement of adverse effects).

    In addition, the group contributes to the development of scientific contents in medical education and the training of postgradual fellows in research methods.

  • Ongoing

    • Comparative Effectiveness of Continuation and Maintenance Treatments for Chronic Depression: A Systematic Review (COMACHRON) (BMBF, since 2015/04)
    • Component-Based Evaluation of Complex Interventions with Network-Meta-Analysis (CINEMA) (DFG, since 2014/01)
    • Safety and Acceptance of Pharmacological Interventions for Chronic Depression. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (AEMA) (Forschungsförderungsfond der Medizinischen Fakultät der Universität Hamburg, FFM, since 2014/01)
    • Revision of the National Clinical Practice Guideline for Unipolar Depression (DGPPN, since 2013/10)
    • Family Psychoeducation to Maintain Recovery from Depression (SCHILD) (in cooperation with the University Medical Center Freiburg; Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung, since 2014/08)
    • Long-Term Effects of the Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy versus Supportive Psychotherapy for Early Onset Chronic Depression: a Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial (in cooperation with the University Medical Center Freiburg; DFG, since 2012/08)
    • Comparative Efficacy of the Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy versus Supportive Psychotherapy for Early Onset Chronic Depression: a Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial (in cooperation with the University Medical Center Freiburg; DFG, since 2010/01)

    Finished

    • Treatment Patterns in Inpatient Depression Treatment (PATTERN) (BMBF, 2012/03-2014/02)
    • Effectiveness of Psychotherapeutic, Pharmacological, and Combined Treatments for Chronic Depression: a Systematic Review (METACHRON) (BMBF, 2009/11-2011/10)
    • Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Physical Oral Health Index (in cooperation with the Department of Dental Prothetics at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; BMBF, 2010/01-1012/12)
    • Effects of a Structured Pharmaceutical Management Intervention on Reducing Cardiovascular Medication Complexity (in cooperation with the Pharmacy of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf;; 2010/01-2013/07)

  • Publications of the workgroup members in PubMed

    Selected recent publications

    • Kriston L, Meister R. Incorporating uncertainty regarding applicability of evidence from meta-analyses into clinical decision-making. J Clin Epidemiol 2014; 67: 325-334.
    • Kriston L, von Wolff A, Westphal A, Hölzel LP*, Härter M* (*with equal contribution). Efficacy and acceptability of acute treatments for persistent depressive disorder: a network meta-analysis. Depress Anxiety 2014; 31: 621-630.
    • Kriston L. Dealing with clinical heterogeneity in meta-analysis. Assumptions, methods, interpretation. Int J Meth Psych Res 2013; 22: 1-15.
    • Kühne F, Ehmcke R, Härter M, Kriston L. Conceptual decomposition of complex health care interventions for evidence synthesis: A literature review. J Eval Clin Pract 2015; 21: 817-823.
    • Kühne F, Krattenmacher T, Bergelt C, Beierlein V, Herzog W, v Klitzing K, Weschenfelder-Stachwitz H, Romer G, Möller B. "There is still so much ahead of us" - family functioning in families of palliative cancer patients. Fam Syst Health 2013; 31): 181-193.
    • Kühne F, Haagen M, Baldus C, Diareme S, Grether A, Schmitt F, Stanescu D, Stöckl M, Thastum M, Möller B, Romer G. Implementation of preventive mental health services for children of physically ill parents: experiences in seven European countries and health care systems. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2013; 35: 147-153.
    • Meister R, von Wolff A, Mohr H, Nestoriuc Y, Härter M, Hölzel LP, Kriston L. Adverse event methods were heterogeneous and insufficiently reported in randomized trials on persistent depressive disorder. J Clin Epidemiol 2016; 71: 97-108.
    • Meister R, von Wolff A, Kriston L. Odds ratios of treatment response was well approximated from continuous scale scores for meta-analysis. J Clin Epidemiol 2015; 68: 740-751.
    • von Wolff A, Jansen M, Hölzel LP, Westphal A, Härter M, Kriston L. Generalizability of findings from efficacy trials for chronic depression: An analysis of eligibility criteria. Psychiat Serv 2014; 65: 897-904.
    • von Wolff A, Hölzel LP, Westphal A, Härter M, Kriston L. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants in the acute treatment of chronic depression and dysthymia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord 2013; 144: 7-15.