A failed attempt to conduct an individual patient data meta-analysis

A study-level meta-analysis has shown that proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a promising prognostic marker in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. An individual patient data meta-analysis could yield a prognostic tool with improved accuracy enabling well-founded clinical decisions. Our request to share patient data remained unanswered by five out of 18 research groups. Another four declined collaboration for various reasons, including own reanalysis of the data, and lack of parental consent. With less than 40% of the individual patient data available, we refrained from pursuing the proposed study. As future patients may benefit from it, policies mandating data sharing should be introduced.