M.Sc. Course Material - Systematic Reviews

This website is for students following the post-graduate programme in Health Sciences at the University of York.

Week 6: Meta-analysis

• Lecture notes -- Meta-analysis: methods for quantitative data synthesis (Adobe PDF file)
• Text version -- Meta-analysis: methods for quantitative data synthesis (Adobe PDF file)
• Classroom Exercise: Combining data from many studies (Adobe PDF file)
• Suggested answers to exercise: Combining data from many studies (Adobe PDF file)
• Classroom Exercise: Meta-analysis (Adobe PDF file)
• Suggested answers to exercise: Meta-analysis (Adobe PDF file)
• A Meta-analysis Puzzle Solved? (Adobe PDF file)
• Exercise: The analgesic effect of acupuncture (on-line exercise)
• Exercise: Prophylactic administration of parenteral steroids (on-line exercise)

• Lecture notes -- Meta-analysis: heterogeneity and publication bias (Adobe PDF file)
• Text version -- Meta-analysis: dealing with heterogeneity (Adobe PDF file)
• Text version -- Meta-analysis: publication bias (Adobe PDF file)
• Classroom Exercise: Bias in meta-analysis (Adobe PDF file)
• Suggested answers to exercise: Bias in meta-analysis (Adobe PDF file)
• Exercise: Multivitamin supplements (Adobe PDF file)
• Suggested answers to exercise: Multivitamin supplements (Adobe PDF file)
• Exercise: House dust mite control (Adobe PDF file)
• Suggested answers to exercise: House dust mite control (Adobe PDF file)

• Some useful links:

  • Thompson SG. Systematic review: why sources of heterogeneity in meta-analysis should be investigated. British Medical Journal 1994; 309: 1351-1355.
  • Higgins JPT, Thompson SG, Deeks JJ, Altman DG. Measuring inconsistency in meta-analyses. British Medical Journal 2003; 327: 557-560.
  • Sterne JAC, Egger M, Smith GD. Systematic reviews in health care - Investigating and dealing with publication and other biases in meta-analysis. British Medical Journal 2001; 323: 101-105.

• Development of diabetes in trials of statins: an example of a systematic review and meta-analysis. (Adobe PDF file.)
• Computer room exercise: Practical Meta-Analysis using CMA Version 2 (Adobe PDF file)
  You need access to the program CMA2 to do this exercise. If you missed the practical class, reading the exercise and its solution will give you some idea of what the program does.
• Data table "Gotzsche.doc" for Practical Meta-Analysis using CMA Version 2 (Word file)
  Download Gotzsche.doc to your own computer. It is used in the exercise.
• Suggested answers to exercise: Practical Meta-Analysis using CMA Version 2 (Adobe PDF file)
• How can students access CMA2?
• Exercise: Meta-analysis of endarterectomy versus stenting for carotid artery stenosis using CMA2 (on-line exercise)
• Alternative meta-analysis software: MetaAnalyst. This is free and pretty good.

• Specimen exam question (Adobe PDF file)
• Notes on logarithms (Adobe PDF file)

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Last updated: 16 April, 2012.

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