HOW SHOULD WE ANALYSE, SYNTHESIZE, AND INTERPRET EVIDENCE FROM INTERRUPTED TIME SERIES STUDIES? MAKING THE BEST USE OF AVAILABLE EVIDENCE

Abstract

Interrupted time series (ITS) studies are frequently used to evaluate whether policy interventions are successful. The findings from these studies are often collated into systematic reviews, which are used to inform healthcare decisions by clinicians, consumers and policy makers. It is not known how the statistical methods, which underpin the findings from ITS studies, perform. This proposal will evaluate the statistical methods and provide guidance on how to analyse and interpret ITS studies.