Comprehensive meta analysis subgroup within thea nalysis

Therefore, it is important to first discuss the core components and assumptions of network meta-analysis models. However, this method also comes with additional challenges and pitfalls, particularly with respect to heterogeneity and so-called network inconsistency ( Salanti et al.

In the last decade, it has been increasingly picked up by applied researchers in the bio-medical field, and other disciplines. Network meta-analysis is a вЂњhotвЂќ research topic. This is because it integrates multiple direct and indirect treatment comparisons into one model, which can be formalized as a вЂњnetworkвЂќ of comparisons. Network meta-analysis is also known as mixed-treatment comparison meta-analysis ( Valkenhoef et al. Network meta-analysis can be used to incorporate such indirect comparisons, and thus allows us to compare the effects of several interventions simultaneously ( Dias et al. For example, it is possible that two medications were never compared directly, but that the effect of both medications compared to a pill placebo has been studied extensively. Different treatments may have been evaluated in separate trials, but all of these trials may have used the same control group. However, while direct comparisons between two or more treatments may not exist, indirect evidence is typically available. This often means that traditional meta-analyses can not be used to establish solid evidence on the relative effectiveness of several treatments. In many research fields, it is common to find that only fewвЂ“if anyвЂ“trials have compared the effects of two treatments directly, in lieu of вЂњweakerвЂќ control groups. To assess the comparative effectiveness of several treatments in a conventional meta-analysis, sufficient head-to-head comparisons between two treatments need to be available. Instead, we want to find out which treatment is the most effective for some specific indication. Especially in вЂњmaturedвЂќ research fields, it is often less relevant to show that some kind of treatment is beneficial. Migraine, for example, can be treated with various kinds of medications, and non-pharmaceutical therapy options also exist. Yet, in many research areas, there is not only one вЂњdefinitiveвЂќ type of treatmentвЂ“there are several ones. All else being equal, this allows to assess if a specific type of treatment is effective. We include studies in which the same type of intervention was compared to similar control groups, for example a placebo. Journal of Statistical Software, 36(3).Hen we perform meta-analyses of clinical trials or other types of intervention studies, we usually estimate the true effect size of one specific treatment. Conducting Meta-Analyses in R with the metafor Package. I used this platform to learn the basics of R before using Metafor. If you are new to R, I suggest taking the Introduction to R course on DataCamp (affiliate link). If so вЂ“ have a look at JASP or Jamovi below. However, since the package requires the use of the R environment, it may be difficult for those who have never used R before to become accustomed to the package so quickly. Their website contains some very useful analysis and plot examples with the corresponding code. Metafor is one of the many R packages available to conduct meta-analyses and contains the most comprehensive analysis tools. Example forest plot created using Metafor in R.

Comprehensive meta analysis subgroup within thea nalysis