Speaker
Description
Updating a meta-analysis (MA) by including additional studies is usually a straightforward exercise, as the relevant data are commonly reported in detail, i.e., effect estimates with standard errors for all studies. Matters are complicated, however, when only the summary of a previous analysis is available, i.e., the overall estimate with standard error. For instance, this is sometimes the case when an individual participant data (IPD) MA only reports limited data. An ad-hoc solution that has sometimes been adopted is to include the previous MA's estimate as a single "study" in the new analysis, but in the commonly adopted hierarchical modelling framework, this will lead to misalignment of hierarchy levels from previous and current analyses. We will discuss the problem in detail, including whether or when the ad-hoc solution may be appropriate, or what adjustments may be made within Bayesian and frequentist frameworks. Approaches are motivated and illustrated using examples from cardiovascular research.
21429409848