---
title: >-
  Propensity Score Methods for Confounding Control in Observational Studies of
  Therapeutics for COVID-19 Infection
description: >-
  Explore this publication on real-world evidence: Propensity Score Methods for
  Confounding Control in Observational Studies of Therapeutics for COVID-19…
date: '2024-01-01'
author: M. Alan Brookhart, PhD, Nuvan Rathnayaka, Kayla Hendrickson, Kathleen Hurwitz
category: Publications
tags:
  - Clinical Infectious Diseases
  - COVID-19
  - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  - Abstract/Manuscript
  - Care
  - 'Yes'
  - Health System Partner
  - Methods/Pharmacoepi
  - R&D
canonical_url: >-
  https://www.headwaterscience.com/resources/publications/pub-clinical-infectious-diseases/propensity-score-methods-for-confounding-control-in/
source: Headwater Science
license: © 2026 Headwater Science. All rights reserved.
slug: propensity-score-methods-for-confounding-control-in
id: 58qwr1lyvM4p0g5Mb7NlBW
contentType: article
---

## Challenge

Standard propensity score methods estimate treatment effects in populations defined by overlap between treatment groups, restricting inference to a subpopulation that may not reflect the full clinically relevant population—a critical limitation in COVID-19 observational research.

## Solution

Target RWE researchers published a methodological analysis demonstrating how IPTW and other propensity score variants differ in the population to which they generalize, using COVID-19 therapeutic observational studies as illustrative examples.

## Impact

Demonstrating that IPTW enables inference over the full eligible population advances the generalizability of Target RWE's comparative effectiveness analyses, supporting the FDA research collaboration and positioning its analytic approach as a regulatory-grade standard.

## Use Cases / Links

IPTW vs. matched propensity score generalizability comparison for regulatory-grade RWE study design, Methodological demonstration of population-level inference for FDA-facing observational studies