Meta-Analysis and Literature Review

Literature reviews designed to summarize large volumes of information are frequently published. When a review is done systematically, following certain criteria, and the results are pooled and analyzed quantitatively, it is called a meta-analysis. A well-designed and – interpreted meta-analysis can provide valuable information for decision making. However, there are several critical caveats in performing and interpreting them.

The information generated in medical research has tremendously increased in recent years. New studies are constantly being published, and clinicians, researchers, and policy makers may find it nearly impossible to stay current. More and more review articles that pool the results of multiple studies are seen.

Combining available information seems reasonable and can save considerable time, effort, and money. Nowadays, meta-analyses are used to design future research, to provide ...

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