Publication:
Practical guide to the meta-analysis of rare events.

cris.virtual.author-orcid0000-0002-0955-7572
cris.virtualsource.author-orcide1dba832-8d83-4311-9d71-ba02eaa0afba
datacite.rightsopen.access
dc.contributor.authorEfthimiou, Orestis
dc.date.accessioned2024-10-25T14:29:44Z
dc.date.available2024-10-25T14:29:44Z
dc.date.issued2018-05
dc.description.abstractOBJECTIVE Meta-analysing studies with low event rates is challenging as some of the standard methods for meta-analysis are not well suited to handle rare outcomes. This is more evident when some studies have zero events in one or both treatment groups. In this article, we discuss why rare events require special attention in meta-analysis, we present an overview of some approaches suitable for meta-analysing rare events and we provide practical recommendations for their use. METHODS We go through several models suggested in the literature for performing a rare events meta-analysis, highlighting their respective advantages and limitations. We illustrate these models using a published example from mental health. We provide the software code needed to perform all analyses in the appendix. RESULTS Different methods may give different results, and using a suboptimal approach may lead to erroneous conclusions. When data are very sparse, the choice between the available methods may have a large impact on the results. Methods that use the so-called continuity correction (eg, adding 0.5 to the number of events and non-events in studies with zero events in one treatment group) may lead to biased estimates. CONCLUSIONS Researchers should define the primary analysis a priori, in order to avoid selective reporting. A sensitivity analysis using a range of methods should be used to assess the robustness of results. Suboptimal methods such as using a continuity correction should be avoided.
dc.description.numberOfPages5
dc.description.sponsorshipInstitut für Sozial- und Präventivmedizin (ISPM)
dc.identifier.doi10.7892/boris.114821
dc.identifier.pmid29650528
dc.identifier.publisherDOI10.1136/eb-2018-102911
dc.identifier.urihttps://boris-portal.unibe.ch/handle/20.500.12422/160694
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherBMJ Publishing Group
dc.relation.ispartofEvidence-Based Mental Health
dc.relation.issn1362-0347
dc.relation.organizationDCD5A442BECFE17DE0405C82790C4DE2
dc.subject.ddc600 - Technology::610 - Medicine & health
dc.subject.ddc300 - Social sciences, sociology & anthropology::360 - Social problems & social services
dc.titlePractical guide to the meta-analysis of rare events.
dc.typearticle
dspace.entity.typePublication
dspace.file.typetext
dspace.file.typetext
oaire.citation.endPage76
oaire.citation.issue2
oaire.citation.startPage72
oaire.citation.volume21
oairecerif.author.affiliationInstitut für Sozial- und Präventivmedizin (ISPM)
unibe.contributor.rolecreator
unibe.date.licenseChanged2019-12-19 04:21:39
unibe.description.ispublishedpub
unibe.eprints.legacyId114821
unibe.journal.abbrevTitleEVID BASED MENT HEALTH
unibe.refereedtrue
unibe.subtype.articlejournal

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