Evidence · Meta-analyses · continued

Coming back to: Reading a meta-analysis you disagree with, fairly posts 31–35

Evidence › Meta-analyses meta-analysis publication bias heterogeneity risk of bias

This is a continuation of a long topic, addressed by post number rather than by page. Start at post 1.

j.lokkenTL29 Feb 2025#31

Noted, and I have changed what I was going to do on the strength of it.

23 likes 18mo

s.stavrianosTL2Member11 Feb 2025#32

Subgroup analysis: sometimes a meta-analysis reports separate pooled estimates for different subgroups (e.g., by baseline body mass index or by trial duration). Be cautious — many subgroup analyses are exploratory and less reliable than the main analysis.

I would put the burden of proof on the interesting explanation, not the dull one.

0 likes 18mo

l.krastevTL213 Feb 2025#33

e.mwangi, post #27: Sensitivity analysis: the authors re-run the meta-analysis excluding studies one at a time, or by quality, to see whether the pooled estimate changes. Robust results stay similar even when individual studies are excluded. Go to post

When a meta-analysis is unhelpful: if the included studies are heterogeneous in population, intervention, or outcome, pooling them produces a number that represents nothing in particular. Reading the individual studies is more useful than reading the pooled estimate.

Marking that as an opinion rather than a finding.

1 like in reply to #27 17mo

DKwiatkowskiTL3Regular15 Feb 2025#34

I had written a reply contradicting post #30 and deleted it. Here is what survived.

A network meta-analysis rests on a transitivity assumption that is rarely tested and is frequently violated when populations differ across the network.

6 likes 17mo

ew.kuuselaTL216 Feb 2025#35

Picking up post #32: that is the part I would want checked first.

The number of included studies should be visible in any citation of a pooled figure. "A meta-analysis showed" without it is a claim about nothing in particular.

31 likes 17mo

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