Network Meta-analysis to Synthesize Evidence for Decision Making in Cardiovascular Research

Leonardo Roever; Giuseppe Biondi-Zoccai

doi:10.5935/abc.20160052

Network Meta-analysis to Synthesize Evidence for Decision Making in Cardiovascular Research

Arq Bras Cardiol. 2016 Apr;106(4):333-7. doi: 10.5935/abc.20160052.

[Article in English, Portuguese]

Authors

Leonardo Roever¹, Giuseppe Biondi-Zoccai²

Affiliations

¹ Departmento de Pesquisa Clínica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.
² Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy.

Abstract

Clinical decision-making requires synthesis of evidence from literature reviews focused on a specific theme. Evidence synthesis is performed with qualitative assessments and systematic reviews of randomized clinical trials, typically covering statistical pooling with pairwise meta-analyses. These methods include adjusted indirect comparison meta-analysis, network meta-analysis, and mixed-treatment comparison. These tools allow synthesis of evidence and comparison of effectiveness in cardiovascular research.

MeSH terms

Biomedical Research*
Cardiovascular Diseases*
Clinical Decision-Making / methods*
Clinical Trials as Topic
Comparative Effectiveness Research
Evidence-Based Medicine / methods*
Humans
Network Meta-Analysis*
Research Design
Review Literature as Topic*