Onyskiw J E
Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Can J Nurs Res. 1996 Fall;28(3):69-85.
A quantitative research method for aggregating findings from empirical research, meta-analysis is useful for systematically integrating findings gleaned from individual studies. Meta-analysis goes beyond the mere summarization and critique of research findings, to conducting statistical analyses on the outcomes of similar studies. Overall, meta-analysis represents a vast improvement over traditional methods of research review, by providing a more thorough description of the current status of research in an area and a more precise estimate of the effects of treatments or interventions. This article describes the meta-analytic approach to research integration, discusses the advantages that it offers for integrating nursing research, and highlights some of the methodological issues surrounding this approach.
元分析作为一种用于汇总实证研究结果的定量研究方法，有助于系统整合从个体研究中收集到的结果。元分析不仅仅是对研究结果进行简单总结和批判，还会对相似研究的结果进行统计分析。总体而言，元分析相较于传统的研究综述方法有了巨大改进，它能更全面地描述某一领域的研究现状，并更精确地估计治疗或干预的效果。本文介绍了研究整合的元分析方法，讨论了其在整合护理研究方面的优势，并强调了围绕该方法的一些方法论问题。
