Focus on Data: Statistical Significance, Effect Size and the Accumulation of Evidence Achieved by Combining Study Results Through Meta-analysis.
Focus on Data: Statistical Significance, Effect Size and the Accumulation of Evidence Achieved by Combining Study Results Through Meta-analysis.
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关注数据：通过荟萃分析结合研究结果获得的统计意义、效果大小和证据积累。
DOI：
10.1167/iovs.61.10.32
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发表时间：
2020
影响因子：
4.4
通讯作者：
Kardon,RandyH
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Ledolter,Johannes;Kardon,RandyH
目的：提供有关统计学意义和Meta分析的信息和观点，Meta分析是一种合并多项研究的估计效果的统计程序。方法：介绍了执行Meta分析的方法，其中合并了多项研究的结果。通过多项研究提供了多发性硬化症患者视网膜光学相干断层扫描厚度的荟萃分析的一个例子。我们展示了如何结合单独的研究结果，以及如何根据可靠性对每个研究的结果进行加权。使用Meta分析方法从所有研究结果中得出最接近未知共同效应的合并估计。结果：回顾了固定效应方法和随机效应方法这两种最常见的Meta分析方法之间的差异。Meta分析被应用于研究健康对照组和多发性硬化症患者视网膜神经纤维层厚度的差异，表明这是一种有用的程序，可以将多项研究的估计效应结合起来，得出多发性硬化引起的视网膜变薄的程度。结论：这篇综述提供了关于统计学意义和Meta分析的信息和观点，Meta分析是一种综合多项研究的估计效应的统计方法。本文讨论了为什么统计意义和低概率值并不重要，为什么调查人员还应该考虑估计的影响的大小。Meta分析的目标是将多项研究的估计效果与个别结果的适当权重相结合。
Purpose: To provide information and perspectives on statistical significance and on meta-analysis, a statistical procedure for combining estimated effects across multiple studies.Methods: Methods are presented for performing a meta-analysis in which results across multiple studies are combined. An example of a meta-analysis of optical coherence tomography thickness of the retina in patients with multiple sclerosis across multiple studies is provided. We show how to combine individual study results and how to weight the results of each study based on its reliability. The method of a meta-analysis is used to derive from all study results a pooled estimate that is closest to the unknown common effect.Results: Differences between the two most common methods for meta-analysis, the fixed-effects approach and the random-effects approach, are reviewed. Meta-analysis is applied to the study of the differences in the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layers of healthy controls and patients with multiple sclerosis, showing why this is a useful procedure for combining estimated effects across multiple studies to derive the magnitude of retinal thinning caused by multiple sclerosis.Conclusions: This review provides information and perspectives on statistical significance and on meta-analysis, a statistical procedure for combining estimated effects across multiple studies. A discussion is provided to show why statistical significance and low probability values are not all that matter and why investigators should also look at the magnitude of the estimated effects. Combining estimated effects across multiple studies with proper weighting of individual results is the goal of meta-analysis.