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Methodological review to develop a list of bias items used to assess reviews incorporating network meta-analysis:

Carole Lunny1, Andrea C Tricco2,3,4, Areti-Angeliki Veroniki5

  • 1Knowledge Translation Program, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada carole.lunny@ubc.ca.

BMJ Open
|June 25, 2021
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

This methodological review develops a list of items to assess bias in network meta-analyses (NMA). This list will inform a new tool for evaluating the quality of NMA evidence, crucial for healthcare decisions.

Area of Science:

  • Health Research Methodology
  • Evidence Synthesis
  • Comparative Effectiveness Research

Background:

  • Network meta-analysis (NMA) is increasingly used for comparative effectiveness research.
  • High-quality evidence from NMAs is essential for healthcare decision-making.
  • Existing tools for assessing NMA quality are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a comprehensive list of items to identify biases in systematic reviews with NMA.
  • To inform the creation of a new risk of bias assessment tool specifically for NMAs.
  • To potentially update existing reporting or quality checklists for NMAs.

Main Methods:

  • A systematic literature search will be conducted in Ovid MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library.
  • Articles presenting items related to bias, reporting, or methodological quality of NMAs will be included.
  • Extracted items will be classified, combined, and reworded into bias-related signaling questions.

Main Results:

  • The review will yield a structured list of items for assessing bias in NMAs.
  • This list will serve as the foundation for a novel risk of bias assessment tool.
  • The findings will contribute to improved quality appraisal of NMA.

Conclusions:

  • A new tool for assessing risk of bias in NMAs will be developed.
  • This tool will enhance the critical appraisal of NMA evidence.
  • Improved NMA quality assessment supports informed healthcare policy and practice.
Keywords:
epidemiologyprotocols & guidelinesquality in health carestatistics & research methods

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