Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
J Clin Epidemiol. 2013 Nov;66(11):1281-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.05.015. Epub 2013 Aug 30.
To collect reasons for selecting the methods for meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy from authors of systematic reviews and improve guidance on recommended methods.
Online survey in authors of recently published meta-analyses of diagnostic accuracy.
We identified 100 eligible reviews, of which 40 had used more advanced methods of meta-analysis (hierarchical random-effects approach), 52 more traditional methods (summary receiver operating characteristic curve based on linear regression or a univariate approach), and 8 combined both. Fifty-nine authors responded to the survey; 29 (49%) authors had used advanced methods, 25 (42%) authors traditional methods, and 5 (9%) authors combined traditional and advanced methods. Most authors who had used advanced methods reported to do so because they believed that these methods are currently recommended (n = 27; 93%). Most authors who had used traditional methods also reported to do so because they believed that these methods are currently recommended (n = 18; 75%) or easy to understand (n = 18; 75%).
Although more advanced methods for meta-analysis are recommended by The Cochrane Collaboration, both authors using these methods and those using more traditional methods responded that the methods they used were currently recommended. Clearer and more widespread dissemination of guidelines on recommended methods for meta-analysis of test accuracy data is needed.
从系统评价作者中收集选择诊断准确性荟萃分析方法的原因，改进推荐方法的指南。
对最近发表的诊断准确性荟萃分析的作者进行在线调查。
我们确定了 100 篇符合条件的综述，其中 40 篇使用了更先进的荟萃分析方法（分层随机效应方法），52 篇使用了更传统的方法（基于线性回归或单变量方法的汇总受试者工作特征曲线），8 篇同时使用了这两种方法。59 位作者对调查做出了回应；29 位（49%）作者使用了先进的方法，25 位（42%）作者使用了传统的方法，5 位（9%）作者同时使用了传统和先进的方法。大多数使用先进方法的作者表示他们这样做是因为他们认为这些方法目前是推荐的（n=27；93%）。大多数使用传统方法的作者也表示他们这样做是因为他们认为这些方法目前是推荐的（n=18；75%）或易于理解（n=18；75%）。
尽管 Cochrane 协作组织推荐更先进的荟萃分析方法，但使用这些方法的作者和使用更传统方法的作者都表示他们使用的方法是目前推荐的。需要更清晰、更广泛地传播关于诊断准确性测试数据荟萃分析推荐方法的指南。
