Propensity Score Matching
Jetan H. Badhiwala, Brij Karmur, Jefferson R. Wilson
Abstract
In using observational, nonrandomized data, there is often interest in studying the effect of a particular treatment on a specific outcome. However, the imbalance of potential confounding variables between the treatment groups can distort the relationship between treatment and outcome. Propensity score matching is one, increasingly utilized, method to help account for such imbalances, allowing for a more accurate estimation of the influence of treatment on outcome. In this paper, we provide the clinician with an overview of propensity score matching techniques and provide a practical example of how this has been used in clinical research relevant to spine surgery.
Topics & Concepts
Propensity score matchingObservational studyOutcome (game theory)Matching (statistics)ConfoundingMedicineComputer scienceEconometricsInternal medicineMathematicsPathologyMathematical economicsAdvanced Causal Inference TechniquesStatistical Methods and InferenceHealth Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life