Comprehensive Overview of Methods and Reporting of Meta-Analyses of Test Accuracy. Methods Research Report.

摘要

Medical tests play a critical role in disease screening, diagnosis, and prediction of future outcomes. Meta-analyses of diagnostic or predictive test accuracy are increasingly performed and the relevant methods are continuously evolving. We identified systematic reviews including quantitative synthesis (meta-analysis) of test accuracy for diagnostic or predictive medical tests through MEDLINE searches (1966 to December 2009) and perusal of reference lists of eligible articles and relevant reviews. We extracted information on topics and test types covered, methods for literature synthesis and quality assessment, availability of data, and statistical analyses performed.