Conn H O
Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
J Intern Med. 1997 Mar;241(3):177-83. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2796.1997.118127000.x.
The objective was to review the current status of meta-analysis, the process of combining the results of similar investigations, which was described in 1976. It has evolved rapidly, and thousands have already been published. Meta-analysis may be performed in a narrative form or in the preferred statistical format, which is more rigorous and demanding. The criteria for designing and performing a meta-analysis of high quality are presented and discussed in detail, including selection criteria, quality, biases and heterogeneity, both of component studies and of results. Critical reviews of meta-analyses are presented. Examples are given from my own field--hepatology--and from my own research experience. Although meta-analysis is simple in concept, it is complex in execution. If performed with insufficient insight or attention to detail, it may give ambiguous or erroneous results.
目的是回顾荟萃分析的现状，即1976年所描述的整合相似研究结果的过程。它发展迅速，已有数千篇相关文献发表。荟萃分析可以采用叙述形式或更严谨、要求更高的首选统计形式进行。详细介绍并讨论了高质量荟萃分析的设计和实施标准，包括组成研究及结果的选择标准、质量、偏倚和异质性。对荟萃分析进行了批判性综述。给出了来自我所在领域——肝病学——以及我个人研究经验的例子。尽管荟萃分析概念简单，但实施起来很复杂。如果缺乏足够的洞察力或对细节关注不够，可能会得出模糊或错误的结果。
