title: Extending DerSimonian and Laird's methodology to perform network meta-analyses with random inconsistency effects.
abstract: Network meta-analysis is becoming more popular as a way to compare multiple treatments simultaneously. Here, we develop a new estimation method for fitting models for network meta-analysis with random inconsistency effects. This method is an extension of the procedure originally proposed by DerSimonian and Laird. Our methodology allows for inconsistency within the network. The proposed procedure is semi-parametric, non-iterative, fast and highly accessible to applied researchers. The methodology is found to perform satisfactorily in a simulation study provided that the sample size is large enough and the extent of the inconsistency is not very severe. We apply our approach to two real examples.
authors.affiliation: MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Law
authors.affiliation: MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Jessica K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.affiliation: MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.affiliation: MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Julian P T
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Higgins
authors.affiliation: MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Salanti
authors.affiliation: MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Ian R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000188:drug therapy; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D015233:Models, Statistical; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000188:drug therapy; D011336:Probability; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018401:Sample Size; D018058:Tympanic Membrane Perforation / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D035501:Uncertainty
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: method of moments; mixed treatment comparisons; multiple treatments meta-analysis; network meta-analysis