Abstract

PINEDA-ALVAREZ, Mateo  and  ZAPATA-OSPINA, Juan Pablo. Practical Approach to Heterogeneity in Critical Appraisal of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses. Univ. Med. [online]. 2022, vol.63, n.1, pp.92-101.  Epub Dec 30, 2021. ISSN 0041-9095.  https://doi.org/10.11144/javeriana.umed63-1.aphl.

Systematic reviews (SR) and meta-analyses (MA) are studies that constitute a highly confident tool for decision-making within the practice of evidence-based medicine due to their high power and precision when combining the results of primary studies. One common issue in this type of study appears when there is a significant variation in the results of the primary studies, which is known as heterogeneity. Heterogeneity can be defined as the existing variability in measured outcomes between primary studies that can be explained by the inherent differences across individual studies. It can be detected through statistical and graphic methods. Once identified, the causes that explain such heterogeneity must be recognized to apply accurately the results. Heterogeneity can also be minimized in a MA by changing the statistical models used to combine the effects. The present narrative review aims to define heterogeneity in SR and MA and offer a practical approach to the critical appraising of these studies. Systematic literature reviews (RSL) and meta-analyzes (MA) due to their high power and precision when combining the results from primary studies

Keywords : systematic review; meta-analysis; methods; evidence-based medicine; bias.

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