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Public Health & Epidemiology vocabulary · Study Design

Meta-analysis

Meaning in public health & epidemiology, with examples

/ˌmetə əˈnæləsɪs/nounCommon term

In public health & epidemiology, meta-analysis means: A statistical method that combines the numerical results of several similar studies to produce one overall estimate of an effect.

In Turkish: meta-analiz

How it is used

Usually part of a systematic review. Results are shown in a forest plot with a pooled estimate and confidence interval. Researchers check heterogeneity, meaning how much the studies differ. The plural is meta-analyses.

Example sentences

  1. The meta-analysis pooled data from twelve trials with over 30,000 participants.

  2. Because the studies were so different, the authors decided not to do a meta-analysis.

Common collocations

  • systematic review and meta-analysis
  • pooled estimate
  • forest plot
  • heterogeneity
  • systematic reviewA review that uses a clear, pre-planned method to find, select and assess all the relevant studies on a specific question and then combine their findings.
  • confidence intervalA range of values around an estimate that shows how precise it is; a 95% confidence interval is calculated so that, if a study were repeated many times, 95% of such intervals would contain the true value.
  • relative riskThe risk of an outcome in an exposed group divided by the risk in an unexposed group; a value of 2 means the exposed group has twice the risk.
  • odds ratioA measure of association that compares the odds of an exposure among cases with the odds among controls, or the odds of an outcome in two groups.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Study Design

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.