Meta-analysis: a tool for medical and scientific discoveries.
- 1 July 1992
- journal article
- review article
- Vol. 80 (3) , 219-22
Abstract
Medicine has made increasing use of meta-analysis, largely as a quantitative procedure for combining results of clinical trials. Meta-analysis begins with a comprehensive review of the literature. The next step is a systematic analysis of the quality and content of each study. Finally, results are combined statistically and conclusions are drawn from this new overview of the data. This paper presents a brief historical perspective on the use of meta-analysis in medicine with emphasis on the medical library. The authors conclude that in the future, medical librarians will play a significant role in the application of this useful technique.This publication has 26 references indexed in Scilit:
- Medical literature as a potential source of new knowledge.1990
- Meta-Analysis: An OverviewNursing Science Quarterly, 1989
- Meta-analysis. A quantitative approach to research integrationJAMA, 1988
- Meta‐analysis of clinical trials as a scientific discipline. I: Control of bias and comparison with large co‐operative trialsStatistics in Medicine, 1987
- Intravenous and intracoronary fibrinolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction: Overview of results on mortality, reinfarction and side-effects from 33 randomized controlled trialsEuropean Heart Journal, 1985
- Psychotherapy outcome: Smith and Glass' conclusions stand up under scrutiny.American Psychologist, 1982
- Meta-analysis of psychotherapy outcome studies.American Psychologist, 1977
- CONTROLLED PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF THE EFFECT ON LIVER FUNCTION OF MULTIPLE EXPOSURES TO HALOTHANEThe Lancet, 1975
- Recurrent Hepatitis Attributable to Halothane Sensitization in an AnesthetistNew England Journal of Medicine, 1969
- Citation Indexes for ScienceScience, 1955