Report from a meeting of the Cochrane Comparing Multiple Interventions Methods Group, Milan, March 2011.
Georgia Salanti, Lorne Becker, Debbi Caldwell, Julian Higgins, Tianjing Li and Chris Schmid
Introduction
The Cochrane Comparing Multiple Interventions Methods Group (CMIMG) was established in September 2010. Among its objectives are to consider how the aims, methods and processes for Cochrane Overviews of Reviews (OoRs) might evolve over time, and to explore the role of multiple treatments meta-analysis (MTM, also known as network meta-analysis or mixed treatment comparisons meta-analysis) in both OoRs and Intervention Reviews (IRs).
In order to start addressing these objectives, a meeting was held in Milan in March 2011, hosted by the Italian Cochrane Centre. In addition to methodologists with an interest in comparing multiple interventions, participants included five Co-ordinating Editors, a recent Managing Editor, a Trials Search Coordinator, a Field Convener, a Centre Director, authors of OoRs and IRs, and the Editor in Chief.
This report summarizes the outputs of the meeting, providing a new proposed strategy for ensuring that comparisons among multiple interventions are provided in a sound and meaningful manner within the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR). The report includes a series of recommendations, emphasized in bold type face and summarized in its own section.
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To continue reading the report on the web, follow the links below:
Addressing multiple interventions in Cochrane Intervention Reviews
Addressing multiple interventions in Cochrane Overviews of Reviews
Clarification of the distinction between Intervention Reviews and Overviews of Reviews
Implications of Overviews for authors and editors of Intervention Reviews
A sequential approach for undertaking reviews that compare multiple-interventions
Role of the Cochrane Comparing Multiple Interventions Methods Group