This workshop is given on behalf of the Statistical Methods Group. 

Workshop type: Training.

Objective: To provide review authors with the knowledge to do a simple meta-analysis. 

Summary:
This workshop will cover the basic ideas of meta-analysis at an accessible level. Topics to be covered include:
• what is a meta-analysis?
• what is a ‘forest plot’?
• what are ‘odds ratios’, ‘risk ratios’ and ‘risk differences’?
• what is heterogeneity?
• what do ‘fixed-effect’ and ‘random-effects’ mean?
The emphasis of the workshop will be on obtaining a broad understanding of the differences between the various methods available in RevMan, with advice on which might be used when, and why, and what the results mean.

[The workshop is part of a series of five workshops on meta-analysis, but does not require attendance at any of the others in the series.]

Intended audience: Review authors.

Technical level expected of participants: Basic.