Sharing is caring? International Society of Pharmacoepidemiology review
and recommendations for sharing of programming code
Abstract
Purpose: There is increasing recognition of the importance of
transparency and reproducibility in scientific research. This study
aimed to quantify the extent to which programming code is publicly
shared in pharmacoepidemiology, and to develop a set of recommendations
on this topic. Methods: We conducted a literature review
identifying all studies published in “Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug
Safety” (PDS) between 2017 and 2022, Data was extracted on the
frequency and types of programming code shared, and other key open
science practices (clinical codelist sharing, data sharing, study
pre-registration, and use of reporting guidelines). We developed six
recommendations for investigators who choose to share to programming
code and gathered feedback from members of the International Society of
Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE). Results: Programming code sharing
by articles published in PDS ranged from 2.4% in 2017 to 13.4% in
2022. It was more prevalent among articles with a methodological focus,
simulation studies, and papers which also shared record-level data. We
recommend that reporting of open science practices, including code
sharing, is standardised to enable continued monitoring. When sharing
programming code, we recommend the use of permanent digital identifiers,
appropriate licenses, and, where possible, adherence to good software
practices around the provision of metadata and documentation,
computational reproducibility, and data privacy. Conclusion:
Programming code sharing is rare but increasing in pharmacoepidemiology
studies published in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety. We recommend
improved and consistent reporting of code sharing, and adherence to good
programming practices in order to maximize the utility of code when this
is shared.