Open AccessDetecting Heterogeneity of Intervention Effects Using Analysis and Meta-analysis of Differences in Variance Between Trial Arms
Author(s) -
Harriet L Mills,
Julian P T Higgins,
Richard Morris,
David Keßler,
Jon Heron,
Nicola Wiles,
George Davey Smith,
Kate Tilling
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1531-5487
pISSN - 1044-3983
DOI - 10.1097/ede.0000000000001401
Subject(s) - meta analysis , covariate , meta regression , analysis of variance , variance (accounting) , randomized controlled trial , pooled variance , confidence interval , statistics , random effects model , study heterogeneity , medicine , mathematics , accounting , business
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with continuous outcomes usually only examine mean differences in response between trial arms. If the intervention has heterogeneous effects, then outcome variances will also differ between arms. Power of an individual trial to assess heterogeneity is lower than the power to detect the same size of main effect.