Hello,
My Masters research is a systematic review and meta analysis. One thing I am struggling with is when a study has undertaken a split head comparison (intervention on one side of the head, placebo/control on the other side). how is this defined in terms of population?
If there are 10 participants who received placebo and intervention, is n.i = 10 and n.c = 10 or is n.i = 5 and n.c 5? I'm mindful of double counting etc. Any advice welcomed.
In the scenario you've mentioned, where 10 participants received both a placebo and an intervention, it's important to avoid double counting.
In the context of a split head comparison, each participant serves as their own control, with one side receiving the intervention and the other side receiving the control (placebo). Since the same participant is receiving both the intervention and the control, the total number of participants remains 10.
For the purpose of your analysis, n.i (number of participants receiving the intervention) would be 10 and n.c (number of participants receiving the control) would also be 10. In other words, each participant contributes to both the intervention and control groups, so you should not split the participant numbers.
When conducting your systematic review and meta-analysis, it's important to account for the paired nature of the data due to the split head design. This may involve using statistical techniques that are suitable for paired data, and ensuring that any potential correlations or dependencies between the two sides of the head are appropriately addressed.
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