I just saw a systematic review that combined not individual studies, but meta-analyses. This was from the Cochrane Collaboration (recent study looking at effects of industry funding) so I assume its methodology is kosher. However, I'm not sure where to look to find out more on the nuts and bolts of pooling meta-analyses. Can anyone aim me at a reference?
If I get it right (although I don't know the reference you are speaking about), you are talking about formal synthesis of individual meta-analysis. This has been implemented in the type of studies known as "meta-epidemiological study" These are extremely seldom, mainly due to the massive work that needs to be done and have been used to find empirical evidence that affects the estimates of meta-analyses. I suggest you look at the results of this PubMed search (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22meta-epidemiological%22)...
Hope this was of help!
Well I thought enough of it to give it an 'up' vote! Thanks very much, Spyridion. I hadn't even heard of meta-epidemiological studies before today.
Hi Mitchell,
You are talking about the new type of reviews that are produced by Cochrane. These are so-called umbrella reviews or overview of reviews. You can learn more about the methodology behind these reviews if you visit the Comparing Multiple Interventions Cochrane Methods Group website (http://cmimg.cochrane.org/). You can even attend the training events or contact them directly with your questions.
Best,
Karen
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