The following two videos will introduce you to the key concepts in network meta-analysis (NMA).
The first video is a brief (10 min), non-technical introduction recorded in 2016 by Georgia Salanti from Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland, and University of Ioannina School of Medicine, Ioannina, Greece.
The second video is a 2014 recording of the Cochrane Canada Webinar with Brian Hutton from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Dr. David Moher’s Network Meta-Analysis research team. This webinar provides an overview of NMA and discusses advantages that it can offer over the traditional pairwise approach to meta-analysis. Examples from the literature are used to familiarize researchers with situations where NMA can be helpful. The session provides an introduction to terminology and methodologic concepts which are involved with this approach to evidence synthesis. Also, helpful resources are suggested, which can guide systematic reviewers with regard to both transparent reporting and critical appraisal of NMA.
After using this resource, you should be able to...
- Understand what is a network meta-analysis and the terminology around it
- Describe rationale for conducting a network meta-analysis
- Decide when a network meta-analysis may be appropriate
- Discuss underlying assumptions of network meta-analysis
- Find the resources for training about, computing, reading, and reporting network meta-analysis
10-minute introduction to NMA with Georgia Salanti
Cochrane Canada webinar on NMA with Brian Hutton
Author information
Salanti, Georgia; Hutton, Brian
Cochrane Canada webinar series was produced with the support of Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Institute of Gender and Health, Institute of Health Services and Policy Research, Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health, Institute of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis, and Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes. Blackboard Collaborate tool for producing webinars was provided by Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) / WHO Research Promotion and Development. Special thanks to Luis Gabriel Cuervo for converting the webinars to Youtube videos.
