But what different studies provide different kinds of data? For example, what if one study reported events and sample size while another reported the odds ratio and confidence interval? How would you get both kinds of data into the program?ĬMA allows you to mix and match the different data formats. What if different studies reported different kinds of data?Ībove, we showed that you can customize the data entry screen to accept almost any kind of data. These examples are a subset of the supported formats and indices. Or, if you enter means and standard deviations the program will compute the raw mean difference, standardized mean difference (d), bias-corrected standardized mean difference (g), correlation, Fisher’s z, log odds ratio, and odds ratio. What if you would prefer to work with the raw mean difference, or to compute the correlation corresponding to the standardized mean difference?ĬMA allows you to work with the index of your choice, and to switch back and forth among indices.įor example, if you have entered the events and sample size, the program will compute the odds ratio, log odds ratio, risk ratio, log risk ratio, risk difference, standardized mean difference (d), bias-corrected standardized mean difference (g), correlation, and Fisher’s z. What if you would prefer to work with the risk ratio? Or what if you wanted to compute the standardized mean difference corresponding to the odds ratio? In another example we entered means and standard deviations and the program computed the standardized mean difference. In one of the examples shown above we entered events and sample size and the program computed the odds ratio and risk ratio. What if I want to use another index of treatment effect?
The program opens a dialog box that shows the exact formula used and also all details of the computation for that specific row. To see the formula used to compute an effect size, double-click on that effect size.
What formula is the program using to compute these effects? Simply locate your data type in a list and CMA will create the corresponding columns in the spreadsheet. By contrast, CMA allows you to enter almost any kind of data – it includes 100 formats for data entry similar to the three shown above. With any other program you would need to compute the effect size and variance for each study before proceeding to the analysis. Or, you have studies that reported an odds ratio and confidence limits. What if your studies reported data in some other format? Perhaps you have studies that reported only a p-value and sample size. Three examples (selected from more than a hundred options) are shown here. Or, you could enter means and standard deviations, and the program would compute the standardized mean difference. For example, you could enter events and sample size, and the program would compute the odds ratio. With CMA you enter whatever summary data was reported in the published study, and the program computes the effect size from that summary data. With CMA the process is fast and accurate
In some cases, especially when studies present data in different formats, the process is also difficult and prone to error. This process of computing effect sizes is typically tedious and time consuming. Or, if a study reports means and standard deviations you might compute the standardized mean difference. For example, if a study reports the number of events in each group you might compute the odds ratio. In every meta-analysis you start with the published summary data for each study and compute the treatment effect (or effect size). The program makes it easy to enter data for these studies, and offers a number of options for working with them in the analysis. The program allows you to work with studies that report data for more than one subgroup, outcome, time-point, or comparison. What if I have multiple subgroups or outcomes within studies? Or, if you are currently using another program for meta-analysis, you can either copy data directly from that program or import it using a Wizard. You can type data directly into the spreadsheet, much as you would with any spreadsheet-based program. Work with multiple subgroups or outcomes within studiesĪssess the potential impact of publication bias Work with a spreadsheet interfaceĮnter data directly or import data from other program Use a “Remove-One” analysis to gauge each study’s impact Use cumulative meta-analysis to see how the evidence has shifted over time Perform the meta-analysis quickly and accuratelyĬreate high-resolution forest plots with a single click Compute the treatment effect (or effect size) automatically