Meta-analysis accelerator: a comprehensive tool for statistical data conversion in systematic reviews with meta-analysis.

Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100968545 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1471-2288 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14712288 NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Med Res Methodol Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : BioMed Central, [2001-

Meta-Analysis as Topic* ; Systematic Reviews as Topic*/methods; Humans ; Software ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Evidence-Based Medicine/methods ; Evidence-Based Medicine/standards ; Evidence-Based Medicine/statistics & numerical data ; Research Design

Background: Systematic review with meta-analysis integrates findings from multiple studies, offering robust conclusions on treatment effects and guiding evidence-based medicine. However, the process is often hampered by challenges such as inconsistent data reporting, complex calculations, and time constraints. Researchers must convert various statistical measures into a common format, which can be error-prone and labor-intensive without the right tools.
Implementation: Meta-Analysis Accelerator was developed to address these challenges. The tool offers 21 different statistical conversions, including median & interquartile range (IQR) to mean & standard deviation (SD), standard error of the mean (SEM) to SD, and confidence interval (CI) to SD for one and two groups, among others. It is designed with an intuitive interface, ensuring that users can navigate the tool easily and perform conversions accurately and efficiently. The website structure includes a home page, conversion page, request a conversion feature, about page, articles page, and privacy policy page. This comprehensive design supports the tool's primary goal of simplifying the meta-analysis process.
Results: Since its initial release in October 2023 as Meta Converter and subsequent renaming to Meta-Analysis Accelerator, the tool has gained widespread use globally. From March 2024 to May 2024, it received 12,236 visits from countries such as Egypt, France, Indonesia, and the USA, indicating its international appeal and utility. Approximately 46% of the visits were direct, reflecting its popularity and trust among users.
Conclusions: Meta-Analysis Accelerator significantly enhances the efficiency and accuracy of meta-analysis of systematic reviews by providing a reliable platform for statistical data conversion. Its comprehensive variety of conversions, user-friendly interface, and continuous improvements make it an indispensable resource for researchers. The tool's ability to streamline data transformation ensures that researchers can focus more on data interpretation and less on manual calculations, thus advancing the quality and ease of conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)

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Keywords: Data analysis; Data transformation; Medical statistics; Meta converter; Meta-analysis; Meta-analysis accelerator; Research tool; Statistical conversion; Systematic review

Date Created: 20241018 Date Completed: 20241019 Latest Revision: 20250306

20250306

PMC11487830

10.1186/s12874-024-02356-6

39425031