Elsevier

Controlled Clinical Trials

Volume 18, Issue 6, December 1997, Pages 580-593
Controlled Clinical Trials

Cumulating evidence from randomized trials: Utilizing sequential monitoring boundaries for cumulative meta-analysis

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0197-2456(97)00051-2Get rights and content

Abstract

We propose the adaptation of classical monitoring boundaries for use in cumulative meta-analysis as guidelines for deciding when accumulating evidence is statistically significant and medically convincing. The interpretation of information from a randomized controlled trial is compared with that from a meta-analysis. The concept of optimal information size for a meta-analysis is developed and used to adapt monitoring boundaries to cumulative meta-analysis.

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