Updated tests for small–study effects in meta–analyses
Roger M. Harbord
Department of Social Medicine
University of Bristol
Bristol, UK
[email protected]
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Ross J. Harris
Centre for Infections
Health Protection Agency
London, UK
[email protected]
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Jonathan A. C. Sterne
Department of Social Medicine
University of Bristol
Bristol, UK
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Abstract. This article describes an updated version of the metabias command,
which provides statistical tests for funnel plot asymmetry. In addition to the
previously implemented tests, metabias implements two new tests that are recommended
in the recently updated Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of
Interventions (Higgins and Green 2008). The first new test, proposed by Harbord,
Egger, and Sterne (2006, Statistics in Medicine 25: 3443–3457), is a modified version
of the commonly used test proposed by Egger et al. (1997, British Medical
Journal 315: 629–634). It regresses Z/√V against √V, where Z is the efficient
score and V is Fisher’s information (the variance of Z under the null hypothesis).
The second new test is Peters’ test, which is based on a weighted linear regression
of the intervention effect estimate on the reciprocal of the sample size. Both of
these tests maintain better control of the false-positive rate than the test proposed
by Egger at al., while retaining similar power.
View all articles by these authors:
Roger M. Harbord, Ross J. Harris, Jonathan A. C. Sterne
View all articles with these keywords:
metabias, meta-analysis, publication bias, small-study effects, funnel plots
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