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Attention should be given to multiplicity issues in systematic reviews
Ralf Bender1, Catey Bunce, Mike Clarke
1Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, Dillenburger Street 27, Cologne, Germany. ralf.bender@iqwig.de
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
|August 9, 2008
Summary
This study addresses the challenge of multiple comparisons in systematic reviews, offering practical guidance for researchers. Addressing multiplicity is crucial for accurate interpretation of systematic review findings.
Area of Science:
- Medical Research Methodology
- Evidence Synthesis
- Biostatistics
Background:
- Systematic reviews synthesize existing research, but face challenges with multiple comparisons.
- The issue of multiplicity can inflate Type I errors, leading to potentially false positive conclusions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the problem of multiple comparisons in systematic reviews.
- To provide practical guidelines for managing multiplicity in systematic reviews.
Main Methods:
- Identification of common sources of multiplicity in systematic reviews.
- Examples illustrating multiplicity issues.
- Development of guidance for unavoidable multiplicity.
Main Results:
- Six key reasons for multiplicity identified: multiple outcomes, groups, time points, effect measures, subgroup analyses, and sequential data analysis.
- Standard methods for single trials are often inadequate for systematic reviews.
Conclusions:
- No single, perfect solution exists for multiple comparisons in systematic reviews.
- Further research is needed to develop specific procedures for systematic reviews.
- Authors and users must carefully consider multiplicity when interpreting systematic review results.
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