RIMeta: An R shiny tool for estimating the reference interval from a meta-analysis.

Area of Science:

• Biostatistics
• Medical Informatics

Background:

• Reference intervals are crucial for interpreting individual health measurements against a healthy population standard.
• Combining data from multiple studies via meta-analysis enhances the generalizability of reference intervals compared to single-study estimates.

Approach:

• Developed RIMeta, an R Shiny web application for estimating reference intervals using random-effects and fixed-effects meta-analysis.
• The tool utilizes aggregate data (mean, standard deviation, sample size) from published studies.
• RIMeta requires no R installation or programming expertise, offering a user-friendly interface.

Key Points:

• RIMeta facilitates accessible estimation of biomarker reference intervals from meta-analysis.
• Users can visualize results using generated reference interval plots.
• The tool supports users not proficient in R programming.

Conclusions:

• RIMeta provides a convenient and accessible method for deriving robust, generalizable reference intervals.
• This tool democratizes the estimation of reference intervals, aiding researchers and clinicians in health data interpretation.