Introduction to systematic review and meta-analysis.
10.4097/kjae.2018.71.2.103
- Author:
EunJin AHN
1
;
Hyun KANG
Author Information
1. Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
- Publication Type:Meta-Analysis ; Randomized Controlled Trial ; Review
- Keywords:
Anesthesiology;
Meta-analysis;
Randomized controlled trial;
Systematic review
- MeSH:
Anesthesiology;
Bias (Epidemiology)
- From:Korean Journal of Anesthesiology
2018;71(2):103-112
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses present results by combining and analyzing data from different studies conducted on similar research topics. In recent years, systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been actively performed in various fields including anesthesiology. These research methods are powerful tools that can overcome the difficulties in performing large-scale randomized controlled trials. However, the inclusion of studies with any biases or improperly assessed quality of evidence in systematic reviews and meta-analyses could yield misleading results. Therefore, various guidelines have been suggested for conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses to help standardize them and improve their quality. Nonetheless, accepting the conclusions of many studies without understanding the meta-analysis can be dangerous. Therefore, this article provides an easy introduction to clinicians on performing and understanding meta-analyses.
