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Primer: strengths and weaknesses of meta-analysis.
Journal article

Primer: strengths and weaknesses of meta-analysis.

  • Finckh A Division of Rheumatology at University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. axel.finckh@hcuge.ch
  • Tramèr MR
  • 2008-01-30
Published in:
  • Nature clinical practice. Rheumatology. - 2008
Clinical Trials as Topic
Evidence-Based Medicine
Humans
Meta-Analysis as Topic
Publication Bias
Quality Control
Review Literature as Topic
English Properly conducted meta-analyses that are based on systematic reviews of the literature allow the conclusive synthesis of accumulating scientific evidence. Systematic reviews, with or without meta-analyses, offer a more objective appraisal of the available evidence compared with traditional narrative reviews. Combining data from independent studies using meta-analytic methods can improve statistical precision, but cannot prevent bias as such. The validity of meta-analyses depends on the methodological quality of the included studies, the eligibility criteria used for the meta-analysis, and the various reporting biases. In this Review we examine the analytical strengths of, and the main problems encountered by, both systematic reviews and meta-analyses, focusing on how to best assess the validity of each for the practicing clinician.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/254410
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