Objectives:
The workshop will explain the basic concepts of heterogeneity. We will address approaches to dealing with between-study variability, or heterogeneity, in the results of a series of clinical trials.
Description:
We will first discuss some potential sources of between-study variability, and overview some methods for identifying whether heterogeneity poses a problem in a particular set of studies. We then focus on issues related to dealing with study variability once it has seen identified. In particular, we will discuss the decision whether or not to combine results; the choice between fixed and random-effects analyses; and the use of subgroup analyses (with a brief mention of meta-regression). Discussion will be supplemented with practical examples from the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.