How to Read Meta-Analyses of Efficacy Studies and Not Go Astray. A Primer for Psychotherapy Practitioners
Joachim Kowalski
Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Experimental Psychopathology Labhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6281-7401
Abstrakt
Objective: This article aims to illustrate practical issues related to the preparation and interpretation of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of clinical trials on the effectiveness of psychotherapy. The text serves as a useful guide and map, facilitating orientation in the process of creating such studies and enabling critical evaluation of their results.
Theses: 1) The importance of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Meta-analyses and systematic reviews are key methods of data synthesis in psychology and form the basis for evidence-based clinical decisions. In the field of psychotherapy, hundreds of review papers are published every year. 2) Variable quality of review studies. Reviews vary in methodological quality and risk of bias, which affects the certainty of the conclusions drawn and their applicability in practice. 3) Stages of preparation and reporting. The article describes the formal steps involved in creating systematic reviews and meta-analyses, including defining the research question, the importance of pre-registration, and the use of reporting standards. 4) Measures of effects and certainty of results. The most commonly used measures of effect (e.g., standardised mean differences, odds ratios, number needed to treat, remission rates, or cut-off point-based indices) and assessments of certainty of results, such as measures of bias and heterogeneity, are discussed. 5) Graphical elements and additional analyses used in meta-analyses. Graphical representations of meta-analysis results and analytical methods aimed at reducing bias are presented.
Conclusions: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses form the foundation of evidence-based clinical practice and play an important role in formulating therapeutic recommendations in psychotherapy. However, their interpretation requires awareness of the processes behind their creation and the ability to critically assess the quality and limitations of these works.
Słowa kluczowe:
meta-analysis, systematic review, clinical trials, metapsychologyBibliografia
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Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Experimental Psychopathology Lab
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