Network Meta-Analysis: the Concept and its Applications for Healthcare Professionals
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Abstract
Clinical practice, to date, is based on evidence which is from clinical trials. However, results from a clinical trial, sometime, conflict to others. Moreover, a lot of treatment options, in many diseases, are available but no conclusion on what the most appropriate treatment option is has been drawn. Those affects clinical decision making. Network meta-analysis (NMA) developed research design which is used to overcome the problem. It can be used to compare all treatment options, together, at the same time. Even though, it is a good research design, the use of evidence from NMA is still limited because the lacks of knowledge and understanding of healthcare professionals on the research design. This article aims to provide information on a concept of NMA and interpretation for physicians and other healthcare professionals. Physicians and other healthcare professionals could use this information for better understanding on NMA and could apply evidence from network meta-analysis to clinical practice. This article provides a basic concept of NMA and its important assumptions. It also provides examples of research findings and interpretation of the findings derived from NMA.
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References
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