Academic Journal
Characterizing updated and living meta-analyses part 1: a methodological scoping review on methods for conducting meta-analyses in updated and living systematic reviews.
| Τίτλος: | Characterizing updated and living meta-analyses part 1: a methodological scoping review on methods for conducting meta-analyses in updated and living systematic reviews. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Konstantinidis M; Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada., Kontouli KM; Department of Primary Education, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Epirus, Greece., Zhelnov P; Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada., Stratton C; Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada., McGowan J; School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada., Simmonds M; Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, York, UK., Moher D; Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Centre for Journalology, Methodological and Implementation Research Program, The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada., Tricco AC; Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada., Veroniki AA; Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Center for Evidence Synthesis in Health, Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. Electronic address: argie_veroniki@brown.edu. |
| Πηγή: | Journal of clinical epidemiology [J Clin Epidemiol] 2026 Sep; Vol. 197, pp. 112389. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jun 22. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Scoping Review |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 8801383 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1878-5921 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 08954356 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Clin Epidemiol Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: New York : Elsevier Original Publication: Oxford ; New York : Pergamon Press, c1988- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Meta-Analysis as Topic* , Research Design* , Review Literature as Topic* , Systematic Reviews as Topic*, Humans |
| Περίληψη: | Objectives: Systematic reviews (SRs) provide the highest level of evidence for clinical and policy decision-making but quickly become outdated as new studies emerge. Updated systematic reviews (USRs) and living systematic reviews (LSRs) offer 2 frameworks to maintain currency; however, statistical approaches for repeated updates of pairwise meta-analyses (PMAs) and network meta-analyses (NMA) remain heterogeneous. This scoping review aimed to identify, categorize, and summarize existing methods for conducting updated meta-analyses (primarily PMAs and, subject to available evidence, NMAs) in the context of USRs and LSRs, highlighting their properties, as well as their reported advantages and limitations. Methods: A scoping review was conducted to identify studies that described or compared methods for updating PMAs or NMAs within USRs or LSRs. We followed the 2020 Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and searched across major bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Cochrane CENTRAL, the Cochrane Methodology Register, ERIC, and PsycINFO) from inception to March 6, 2024. Gray literature and expert recommendations supplemented our literature search. Two reviewers independently screened records, extracted data, and categorized methods. Results: Of 2710 records identified, 51 studies and 1 companion report met the inclusion criteria. The studies were grouped into 9 methodological categories: Traditional/Cumulative Meta-analysis, Law of Iterated Logarithm, Shuster Sequential Method, Sequential Meta-Analysis, Trial Sequential Analysis, Stochastic Curtailment, Adaptive Design, Likelihood Ratio Test, and Bayesian meta-analysis. Most studies focused on USRs (72.5%) and PMAs (98%). Trial Sequential Analysis was the most frequently encountered approach (46/51), while only 1 study described an extension to NMA. Methods varied widely in error control and ability to adjust for heterogeneity. While most approaches addressed type I error, fewer considered type II error or heterogeneity. Conclusion: This scoping review provides the first comprehensive mapping of methods for updated and living meta-analyses. Despite a range of available approaches, no single method demonstrated superiority across contexts. Further research should compare methods empirically, develop accessible software to support reliable, continuously updated evidence synthesis, and extend frameworks to NMA, especially as only a single methodological study was found for NMA. (Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest A.-A.V. reports financial support was provided by Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant (507309). M.K. reports financial support was provided by Canadian Institutes of Health Research Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Program and relationship with Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc that includes: employment. C.S. reports financial support was provided by Canadian Institutes of Health Research Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Program and Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarship. A.C.T. reports financial support was provided by Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Synthesis for Knowledge Users. A.A.V. is a statistical editor for the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology but had no involvement with the peer review process or decision for publication. J.M. is an editor for the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology but had no involvement with the peer review process or decision for publication. D.M. is on the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology but had no involvement with the peer review process or decision for publication. A.C.T. is the co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology had no involvement with the peer review process or decision for publication. There are no competing interests for any author. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Living systematic review; Network meta-analysis; Trial sequential analysis; Type I error; Updated meta-analysis; Updated systematic review |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260622 Date Completed: 20260831 Latest Revision: 20260914 |
| Update Code: | 20260914 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2026.112389 |
| PMID: | 42331113 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
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