R: Meta-analysis based on effect estimates

meta.summaries {rmeta} | R Documentation

## Meta-analysis based on effect estimates

### Description

Computes a summary estimate and confidence interval from a collection of treatment effect estimates and standard errors. Allows fixed or random effects, optional quality weights.

### Usage

    meta.summaries(d, se, method=c("fixed", "random"), weights=NULL,
                   logscale=FALSE, names=NULL, data=NULL,
                   conf.level=0.95, subset=NULL,na.action=na.fail)
    ## S3 method for class 'meta.summaries'
    summary(object,conf.level=NULL,...)
    ## S3 method for class 'meta.summaries'
    plot(x,summary=TRUE,summlabel="Summary",
                        conf.level=NULL,colors=meta.colors(),
                        xlab=NULL,logscale=NULL,...)

### Arguments

`d` | Effect estimates
`se` | standard errors for `d`
`method` | Standard errors and default weights from fixed or random-effects?
`weights` | Optional weights (eg quality weights)
`logscale` | Effect is on a log scale? (for plotting)
`names` | labels for the separate studies
`data` | optional data frame to find variables in
`conf.level` | level for confidence intervals
`subset` | Which studies to use
`na.action` | a function which indicates what should happen when the data contain `NA`s. Defaults to `na.fail`.
`x,object` | a `meta.summaries` object
`summary` | Plot the summary odds ratio?
`summlabel` | Label for the summary odds ratio
`colors` | see `meta.colors`
`xlab` | label for the effect estimate axis.
`...` | further arguments to be passed to or from methods.

### Details

The summary estimate is a weighted average. If `weights` are specified they are used, otherwise the reciprocal of the estimated variance is used.

The estimated variance is the square of `se` for a `fixed` analysis. For a random analysis a heterogeneity variance is estimated and added.

The variance of a weighted average is a weighted average of the estimated variances using the squares of the weights. This is the square of the summary standard error.

With the default weights these are the standard fixed and random effects calculations.

### Value

An object of class `meta.summaries`, which has `print`,`plot`,`summary` and `funnelplot` methods.

### Author(s)

Thomas Lumley

### See Also

`meta.DSL`, `meta.MH`, `funnelplot`, `metaplot`

### Examples

    data(catheter)
    b <- meta.DSL(n.trt, n.ctrl, col.trt, col.ctrl, data=catheter,
                  names=Name, subset=c(13,6,5,3,12,4,11,1,8,10,2))
    d <- meta.summaries(b$logs, b$selogs, names=b$names,
                        method="random", logscale=TRUE)

[Package rmeta version 2.16 Index]