Resolve conflicting rankings of outcomes in network meta-analysis: Partial ordering of treatments

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Gerta Rücker1, Guido Schwarzer1

  • 1Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center, Institute for Medical Biometry and Statistics, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.

Research Synthesis Methods
|October 6, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Network meta-analysis synthesizes evidence from multiple treatments and outcomes. This study visualizes treatment comparisons using Hasse diagrams and structured plots for clearer interpretation of complex health data.

Area of Science:

  • Health research methodology
  • Evidence synthesis
  • Biostatistics

Background:

  • Network meta-analysis is a key method for synthesizing evidence from multiple treatments for a single condition.
  • Clinical studies, often randomized controlled trials, form the basis of network meta-analyses.
  • Multiple patient outcomes (efficacy, safety, cost) can lead to varying treatment rankings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To illustrate the complex relationships between treatments in network meta-analysis.
  • To apply partially ordered set theory for visualizing treatment comparisons.
  • To enhance the interpretation of network meta-analysis results across diverse outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the theory of partially ordered sets.
  • Employed Hasse diagrams (directed graphs) to represent partial order relations between treatments.
  • Generated structured scatter plots and biplots for enhanced visualization.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated how Hasse diagrams can effectively illustrate treatment relations in network meta-analysis.
  • Showcased structured scatter plots and biplots as valuable tools for visualizing comparative treatment data.
  • Provided a novel graphical approach to understanding treatment hierarchies across multiple endpoints.

Conclusions:

  • Partially ordered set theory offers a robust framework for visualizing network meta-analysis results.
  • Hasse diagrams and structured plots improve the clarity and interpretability of complex evidence synthesis.
  • These visualization techniques aid in understanding nuanced treatment comparisons and their implications.
Keywords:
Hasse diagrammultiple outcomesnetwork meta-analysispartial orderingranking

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