clinical-research-pitfalls
Avoid common methodological mistakes in clinical research with MIMIC-IV and eICU databases. Covers immortal time bias, information leakage, selection bias, and other critical pitfalls.
npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill clinical-research-pitfalls --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Clinical Research Pitfalls This skill documents common methodological mistakes in ICU database research and how to avoid them. These errors can invalidate study conclusions. ## When to Use This Skill - Designing research studies - Reviewing analysis plans - Debugging unexpected results - Peer review of methods ## 1. Immortal Time Bias ### Definition Time during which the outcome cannot occur, often because the exposure has not yet been assigned or identified. ### Common Mistake ```sql -- WRONG: Patients who "received Drug X during ICU stay" -- Survival bias: Must survive long enough to receive the drug SELECT stay_id FROM mimiciv_derived.antibiotic WHERE antibiotic LIKE '%vancomycin%'; ``` ### Correct Approach ```sql -- CORRECT: Define exposure at a fixed time point (e.g., first 24h) SELECT DISTINCT stay_id FROM mimiciv_derived.antibiotic ab INNER JOIN mimiciv_icu.icustays ie ON ab.stay_id = ie.stay_id WHERE ab.starttime <= DATETIME_ADD(ie.intime, INTERVAL 24 HOUR); ``` ### Key Principle - Define exposure status at a fixed time point (e.g., ICU admission, 24 hours, 48 hours) - Time zero should be the same for exposed and unexposed groups - Consider landmark analysis or time-varyi
- When to Use This Skill
- 1. Immortal Time Bias
- Definition
- Common Mistake
- Correct Approach
- Key Principle
- 2. Information Leakage (Future Data)
- Common Sources of Leakage
- 3. Selection Bias
- Common Mistakes
- 4. Confounding by Indication
- Example
- Correct Approaches
- 5. Multiple Comparisons
What does the clinical-research-pitfalls skill do?
Avoid common methodological mistakes in clinical research with MIMIC-IV and eICU databases. Covers immortal time bias, information leakage, selection bias, and other critical pitfalls.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill clinical-research-pitfalls --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From majiayu000/claude-skill-registry, a repository with 534 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.