title: Meta-analysis of clinical trials: a consumer's guide.
abstract: Meta-analysis is a popular statistical tool allowing the synthesis of related research studies in a quantitative manner. Components of a good meta-analysis are first discussed, with a view toward critical reading of reports of meta-analyses. Examples include lipid-lowering drugs and coronary artery bypass graft surgery. A role for meta-analysis in the design and monitoring of clinical trials was examined at a workshop held at the National Institutes of Health and aspects of these uses of meta-analyses are considered. Basic analytical and graphical methods of meta-analysis are briefly reviewed. The goal is to encourage more thoughtful evaluation of the many meta-analyses that are published or are presented.
authors.affiliation: Office of Biostatistics Research, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Rockledge Centre 2, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7938, USA.
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Geller
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Proschan
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods