Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35721244›Full record

ReviewWorld journal of methodology2022

Network meta-analyses: Methodological prerequisites and clinical usefulness.

Savvas Ilias Christofilos, Konstantinos Tsikopoulos, Alexios Tsikopoulos, Dimitrios Kitridis, Konstantinos Sidiropoulos, Panagiotis Nikolaos Stoikos, Venu Kavarthapu

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in World journal of methodology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Hypoglycemic activity ofFrontiers in pharmacology · 2024
    Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Article
  8. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Savvas Ilias ChristofilosDepartment of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom. savvaschristofilos@gmail.com.
Konstantinos TsikopoulosDepartment of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece.
Alexios TsikopoulosDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, AHEPA University General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 57010, Greece.
Dimitrios KitridisDepartment of Orthopaedics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Medicine, George Papanikolaou Hospital Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 57010, Greece.
Konstantinos SidiropoulosDepartment of Orthopedics, General Hospital of Serres, Serres 62100, Greece.
Panagiotis Nikolaos StoikosDepartment of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larissa 41500, Greece.
Venu KavarthapuDepartment of Trauma and Orthopaedics, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 9RS, United Kingdom.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

It is an undeniable fact that systematic reviews play a crucial role in informing clinical practice; however, conventional head-to-head meta-analyses do have limitations. In particular, studies can only be compared in a pair-wise fashion, and conclusions can only be drawn in the light of direct evidence. In contrast, network meta-analyses can not only compare multiple interventions but also utilize indirect evidence which increases their precision. On top of that, they can also rank competing interventions. In this mini-review, we have aimed to elaborate on the principles and techniques governing network meta-analyses to achieve a methodologically sound synthesis, thus enabling safe conclusions to be drawn in clinical practice. We have emphasized the prerequisites of a well-conducted Network Meta-Analysis (NMA), the value of selecting appropriate outcomes according to guidelines for transparent reporting, and the clarity achieved

Indexed as

Evidence-based medicineNetwork meta-analysisQuality of evidenceSystematic reviews

Identifiers

PMID35721244
PMCPMC9157634

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.