Current opinion in nephrology and hypertension
October 20, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Key considerations in the design, conduct, analysis, and interpretation of observational studies in dialysis.
Quinn RR, Lam NN.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
Target trial emulation helps make observational dialysis research clearer and less biased.
What was studied
Narrative review of key considerations for observational dialysis studies.
Key findings
- Target trial emulation specifies eligibility, treatment strategies, follow-up, outcomes and causal contrast
- It makes assumptions transparent and reduces bias
- Common pitfalls are illustrated
Clinical relevance
Helps in appraising dialysis observational studies.
Who should care
Limitations
A narrative review, with no new data.
Check whether studies emulate a target trial.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Purpose of review
In this review, key considerations in the design, conduct, and analysis of observational studies in dialysis research are explored in a unique patient population for which interventional trials are challenging and limited.
Recent findings
The use of target trial emulation is increasing and provides a conceptual framework for the design of observational studies. A target trial is a hypothetical trial that would be conducted to answer a research question. It requires investigators to ask a clinically relevant question and then specify eligibility criteria, the treatment strategies that will be compared, the follow-up period, outcomes of interest, and the causal contrast (intention-to-treat vs. per-protocol analysis). The protocol for an observational study is then created to mirror the target trial. In doing so, the question is clear, bias is reduced, and underlying assumptions are made transparent. Illustrative examples are used to highlight common pitfalls in dialysis research.
Summary
In conclusion, randomized controlled trials are not always feasible or even the ideal approach for answering certain questions. However, observational studies are challenging and require careful planning and execution to ensure robust, unbiased results. Target trial emulation provides a blueprint to improve the quality of observational study design.
DOI
10.1097/mnh.0000000000001228
PMID
42895316
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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