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Table 3 Time from completion to publication: multivariable Cox regression analyses

From: Time to publication among completed diagnostic accuracy studies: associated with reported accuracy estimates

 

Hazard ratio (95 % CI)a

p-value

Model 1: Sensitivity (n = 464)

  

Sensitivity (logit transformed)

1.06 (1.02–1.11)

0.007

Year of publication (per 5 years)

0.98 (0.88–1.08)

0.660

Journal impact factor

  
 

≥4

1.24 (0.99–1.55)

0.064

 

<4 or not available

1

 

Number of authors

0.99 (0.96–1.02)

0.550

Continent of first author

  
 

Europe, North America or Oceania

0.69 (0.55–0.87)

0.002

 

Africa, Asia or South America

1

 

Type of test

  
 

Imaging

1.15 (0.88–1.50)

0.300

 

Other

1

 

Type of data collection

  
 

Prospective

1.19 (0.96–1.48)

0.120

 

Retrospective or not reported

1

 

Study duration (per year)b

1.00 (0.98–1.03)

0.820

Number of participants (per 1000)

1.01 (0.99–1.03)

0.430

Model 2: Specificity (n = 458)

  

Specificity (logit transformed)

1.09 (1.04–1.14)

<0.001

Year of publication (per 5 years)

1.01 (0.91–1.11)

0.910

Journal impact factor

  
 

≥4

1.34 (1.07–1.67)

0.011

 

<4 or not available

1

 

Number of authors

0.99 (0.96–1.02)

0.360

Continent of first author

  
 

Europe, North America or Oceania

0.72 (0.57–0.90)

0.003

 

Africa, Asia or South America

1

 

Type of test

  
 

Imaging

1.15 (0.90–1.46)

0.260

 

Other

1

 

Type of data collection

  
 

Prospective

1.23 (1.00–1.52)

0.050

 

Retrospective or not reported

1

 

Study duration (per year)b

1.00 (0.98–1.02)

0.980

Number of participants (per 1000)

1.01 (0.99–1.03)

0.540

Model 3: Youden’s index (n = 454)

  

Youden’s index (logit transformed)g

1.09 (1.03–1.14)

0.001

Year of publication (per 5 years)

0.98 (0.89–1.09)

0.730

Journal impact factor

  
 

≥4

1.28 (1.02–1.61)

0.031

 

<4 or not available

1

 

Number of authors

0.98 (0.95–1.01)

0.280

Continent of first author

  
 

Europe, North America or Oceania

0.69 (0.55–0.87)

0.002

 

Africa, Asia or South America

1

 

Type of test

  
 

Imaging

1.16 (0.90–1.51)

0.250

 

Other

1

 

Type of data collection

  
 

Prospective

1.24 (1.00–1.54)

0.052

 

Retrospective or not reported

1

 

Study duration (per year)b

1.00 (0.98–1.02)

0.910

Number of participants (per 1000)

1.01 (0.99–1.03)

0.460

  1. aFrailty term added per meta-analysis to account for systematic differences in time from completion to publication between meta-analyses; variance of frailty terms was: model 1 = 0.103; model 2 = 0.064; model 3 = 0.094
  2. bOne study was excluded from the Cox regression analysis because of a missing study duration
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BMC Medical Research Methodology

ISSN: 1471-2288

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