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Meta-analysis is a method used to combine the results of different trials in order to obtain a quantitative synthesis. The size of individual clinical trials is often too small to detect treatment effects reliably. Meta-analysis increases the power of statistical analyses by pooling the results of all available trials.
They relate to the validity of the often convenient assumption that the statistical properties of any one part of an overall dataset are the same as any other part. In meta-analysis, which combines the data from several studies, homogeneity measures the differences or similarities between the several studies (see also Study heterogeneity).
If the results are similar between various studies, the data is said to be homogeneous, and the tendency is for these data to be more conclusive. The heterogeneity is indicated by the I 2. A heterogeneity of less than 50% is termed low, and indicates a greater degree of similarity between study data than an I 2 value above 50%, which indicates ...
Meta-analysis leads to a shift of emphasis from single studies to multiple studies. It emphasizes the practical importance of the effect size instead of the statistical significance of individual studies. This shift in thinking has been termed "meta-analytic thinking". The results of a meta-analysis are often shown in a forest plot.
Funnel plots, introduced by Light and Pillemer in 1984 [1] and discussed in detail by Matthias Egger and colleagues, [2] [3] are useful adjuncts to meta-analyses. A funnel plot is a scatterplot of treatment effect against a measure of study precision. It is used primarily as a visual aid for detecting bias or systematic heterogeneity.
For example, if both p-values are around 0.10, or if one is around 0.04 and one is around 0.25, the meta-analysis p-value is around 0.05. In statistics, Fisher's method, [1] [2] also known as Fisher's combined probability test, is a technique for data fusion or "meta-analysis" (analysis of analyses).
A meta-regression can be classified in the same way—meta-regression and network meta-regression—depending on the number of distinct treatments in the regression analysis. Meta-analysis (and meta-regression) is often placed at the top of the evidence hierarchy provided that the analysis consists of individual participant data of randomized ...
Thus, regression analysis using heteroscedastic data will still provide an unbiased estimate for the relationship between the predictor variable and the outcome, but standard errors and therefore inferences obtained from data analysis are suspect. Biased standard errors lead to biased inference, so results of hypothesis tests are possibly wrong.