Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology: A Proposal for Reporting
Article Abstract:
A committee of 27 scientists has developed guidelines for using meta-analysis to combine the results of observational studies. Observational studies are done by analyzing groups of people to determine risk factors associated with certain diseases. Meta-analysis is used to combine the results of many different studies into one larger study. Meta-analysis is usually used to combine clinical trials, which are considered more valuable than observational studies. However, clinical trials are very expensive and take a long time to produce a result. Observational studies can be done on existing data.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 2000
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Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials: a concern for standards
Article Abstract:
It may be time to set standards for the reporting of meta-analyses. A meta-analysis is a report that evaluates all the studies on a particular treatment to decide whether the treatment is effective. By 1995 there had been almost 2,000 meta-analyses published, according to a Medline search. Many of these reports can indicate the need for a treatment sooner than the many years needed to do randomized controlled clinical trials. However, the quality of many meta-analyses is controversial. Many authors do an inadequate literature search and do not retrieve all pertinent studies. There are no standards to determine the quality of the reports. Many authors review only studies published in English, even though there are no data to support the superiority of these papers.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1995
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Improving the quality of reporting of randomized controlled trials: the CONSORT statement
Article Abstract:
A working group of physicians, editors and statisticians has published the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT). These standards are a consolidation of the Standards of Reporting Trials (SORT) and the Asilomar Working Group on Recommendations for Reporting of Clinical Trials in the Biomedical Literature. Both groups recommend writing structured reports of clinical trials to improve the quality of reporting. Their checklist contains 21 items that should be included in all reports and is accompanied by a flowchart illustrating the stages of a clinical trial.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1996
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