In: Statistics and Probability
what is meta analysis?
WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO DO?
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Q: What is a meta-analysis?
Meta-analysis is the statistical procedure for combining data from MULTIPLE STUDIES . When the treatment effect (or effect size) is consistent from one study to the next, meta-analysis can be used to identify this common effect. When the effect varies from one study to the next, meta-analysis may be used to identify the reason for the variation.
Q:What are we trying to do?
Generally this is done:
Q:Why is it important?
Decisions about the utility of an intervention or the validity of a hypothesis cannot be based on the results of a single study, because results typically vary from one study to the next. Narrative review is largely subjective (different experts can come to different conclusions) and becomes difficult when there are more than a few studies involved. Meta-analysis, by contrast, applies objective formulas and CAN BE USED FOR CASES HAVING MULTIPLE STUDY.