We are proud to bring you our first methods primer!

We will consider methods primers whenever we cover a study with a more an usual or slightly more complicated methods.

Last week's network-meta-analysis on DVT prophylaxis with Dr. Tony Breu should certainly qualify!

Meta-analysis (both the classical one and the network type) can provide a quantitative synthesis of controlled studies (e.g., randomized controlled trials).

NETWORK meta-analysis can help with two additional things:

1. Through indirect treatment comparison (or a combination of indirect and direct comparison) it can increase your statistical power and
2. It can also help with comparisons that would otherwise not be possible.

Our methods consultant for this first primer on more an usual or slightly more complicated methods is Professor Dr. Ulrich Mansmann, the chair of the Institute for Epidemiology, Biometry, and Medical Information Processing of LMU Munich (Germany).

After covering some basics, we later dive a bit deeper into network meta-analysis.

References:

• T Bartmus, U Mansmann: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis Assessing the Effectiveness and Tolerability of Gliptins and Sulfonylureas as Monotherapy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus If Metformin is not Considered Appropriate. Value Health. 2014 Nov;17(7):A333. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27200582/
• RJ Eck, T Elling, AJ Sutton et al. Anticoagulants for thrombosis prophylaxis in acutely ill patients admitted to hospital: systematic review and network meta-analysis. BMJ 2022;378:e070022 https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj-2022-070022
• F Song et al.: Validity of indirect comparison for estimating efficacy of competing interventions: empirical evidence from published meta-analyses. BMJ . 2003 Mar 1;326(7387):472. doi: 10.1136/bmj.326.7387.472. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12609941/
• L Mbuagbaw et al.: Approaches to interpreting and choosing the best treatments in network meta-analyses. Syst Rev . 2017 Apr 12;6(1):79. doi: 10.1186/s13643-017-0473-z. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28403893/

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/e_1mvGL8oDk

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