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Home Articles Vol 36,2023 No.8 Detail

The misuse of the I2 test in the evaluation of heterogeneity of Meta-analysis

Published on Aug. 30, 2023Total Views: 3139 times Total Downloads: 990 times Download Mobile

Author: Shi-Qi WANG Qing-Qing JIANG Shen HUANG Yu-Lin XIE Shi-Yi CAO

Affiliation: School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China

Keywords: Meta-analysis I2 test I2 statistic Heterogeneity

DOI: 10.12173/j.issn.1004-4337.202304137

Reference: Wang SQ, Jiang QQ, Huang S, Xie YL, Cao SY. The misuse of the I2 test in the evaluation of heterogeneity of Meta-analysis[J]. Journal of Mathematical Medicine, 2023, 36(8): 561-564. DOI: 10.12173/j.issn.1004-4337.202304137[Article in Chinese]

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Abstract

The heterogeneity of Meta-analysis refers to the differences among the individual studies included in the Meta-analysis. Selecting appropriate methods to identify and measure heterogeneity is an important step to evaluate the reliability of Meta-analysis results. The I-squared (I2) test is the commonly used heterogeneity test of Meta-analysis, but according to the definition of I2 statistic, I2 test cannot truly show the heterogeneity, and the current evaluation methods of heterogeneity of Meta-analysis are seriously misused. This study aimed to systematically review the commonly used heterogeneity evaluation methods of Meta-analysis, introduce the misuse of I2 statistic in the test of heterogeneity of Meta-analysis through two examples, and propose statistical indicators that can truly show the heterogeneity of Meta-analysis, in order to provide reference for improving the reliability and normativity of Meta-analysis researches.

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