SYSTEMATIC REVIEW - WHY SOURCES OF HETEROGENEITY IN METAANALYSIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW - WHY SOURCES OF HETEROGENEITY IN METAANALYSIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED
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DOI：
10.1136/bmj.309.6965.1351
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发表时间：
1994-11-19
影响因子：
105.7
通讯作者：
THOMPSON, SG
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
THOMPSON, SG
尽管荟萃分析现在已成为一种审查证据的方法，但不加批判地使用该技术可能会产生很大的误导。一个常见的问题是未能适当调查异质性的来源，特别是所纳入研究之间的临床差异。本文区分了临床异质性和统计异质性的概念，并通过使用已发表的血清胆固醇浓度流行病学研究及其降低临床试验的荟萃分析来举例说明研究异质性的重要性。尽管由于对现有数据的过度检查而导致推测性结论的危险，但对异质性来源的明智调查应该增加荟萃分析结果的科学性和临床相关性。
Although meta-analysis is now well established as a method of reviewing evidence, an uncritical use of the technique can be very misleading. One common problem is the failure to investigate appropriately the sources of heterogeneity, in particular the clinical differences between the studies included. This paper distinguishes between the concepts of clinical and statistical heterogeneity and exemplifies the importance of investigating heterogeneity by using published-meta-analyses of epidemiological studies of serum cholesterol concentration and clinical trials of its reduction. Although not without some dangers of speculative conclusions, prompted by overzealous inspection of the data to hand, a sensible investigation of sources of heterogeneity should increase both the scientific and the clinical relevance of the results of meta-analyses.,