Alternative measures of between-study heterogeneity in meta-analysis: Reducing the impact of outlying studies.

ABSTRACT: Meta-analysis has become a widely used tool to combine results from independent studies. The collected studies are homogeneous if they share a common underlying true effect size; otherwise, they are heterogeneous. A fixed-effect model is customarily used when the studies are deemed homogeneous, while a random-effects model is used for heterogeneous studies. Assessing heterogeneity in meta-analysis is critical for model selection and decision making. Ideally, if heterogeneity is present, it should permeate the entire collection of studies, instead of being limited to a small number of outlying studies. Outliers can have great impact on conventional measures of heterogeneity and the conclusions of a meta-analysis. However, no widely accepted guidelines exist for handling outliers. This artic

SUBMITTER: Lin L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5106349 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature