Conventional Approach Of Combining P-Values Using Chi-Square Test: An Essence of Meta Analysis

摘要

Meta analysis refers to the analysis of analyses. It is the statistical analysis of a large collection of analysis results from individual studies for the purpose of integrating the findings.1 Unlike traditional methods, meta-analysis uses the summary statistics from individual studies as the data points. For example, if study X reported a mean decrease in systolic blood pressure of 5 mmHg in 50 subjects and study Y reported a mean decrease of 2 mmHg in 65 subjects, total n for analysis would be 2, however, these data would be based on a total of 115 subjects. Meta analysis provides a strong alternative to the more traditional review methods, and allow for quantitative conclusions to be reached. There are a variety of different procedures for conducting a Meta analysis.