title: Potential for Meta-Analysis in the Realm of Preharvest Food Safety.
abstract: Meta-analysis, the statistical combination of results from multiple studies, can be used to summarize all of the available research on an intervention, etiology, descriptive, or diagnostic test accuracy question. Meta-analysis should be conducted as a component of a systematic review, to increase transparency in the selection of studies and to incorporate an evaluation of the risk of bias in the individual studies included in the meta-analysis. The process of meta-analysis may include a forest plot to graphically display the study results and the calculation of a weighted average summary effect size. Heterogeneity (differences in the effect size between studies) can be evaluated using formal statistics and the reasons for heterogeneity can be explored using sub-group analysis or meta-regression. Thus, meta-analysis may be a useful methodology for preharvest food safety research to aid in policy or clinical decision-making or to provide input to quantitative risk assessment or other models.
authors: Center for Public Health and Zoonoses and Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1.
authors: Jan M
authors: JM
authors: Sargeant
authors: Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, IA 50100.
authors: Annette M
authors: AM
authors: O'Connor
mesh_terms: D000066491:Clinical Decision-Making; D005516:Food Microbiology; D059022:Food Safety; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012107:Research Design; D018570:Risk Assessment