Meta-analyses: what they can and cannot do

Meta-analyses: what they can and cannot do.

Meta-analyses overcome the limitation of small sample sizes or rare outcomes by pooling results from a number of individual studies to generate a single best estimate. As long as a meta-analysis is not limited by poor quality of included trials, unexplainable heterogeneity and/or reporting bias of individual trials, meta-analyses can be instrumental in reliably demonstrating benefit or harm of ...

Descriptive studies: what they can and cannot do.

Descriptive studies often represent the first scientific toe in the water in new areas of inquiry. A fundamental element of descriptive reporting is a clear, specific, and measurable definition of the disease or condition in question. Like newspapers, good descriptive reporting answers the five basic W questions: who, what, why, when, where. and a sixth: so what? Case reports, case-series repor...

Bone allografts: What they can offer and what they cannot.

Bone allografts can be used in any kind of surgery involving bone from minor defects to major bone loss after tumour resection. This review describes the various types of bone grafts and the current knowledge on bone allografts, from procurement and preparation to implantation. The surgical conditions for optimising the incorporation of bone are outlined, and surgeon expectations from a bone al...

, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I Epidemiology series I 2002 02 Descriptive studies : what they can and cannot do

Descriptive studies often represent the first scientific toe in the water in new areas of Inquiry. A fundamental element of descriptive reporting is a clear, specific, and measurable definition of the disease or condition in question. Uke newspapers, good descriptive reporting answers the five basic W questions: who, what, why, when, where ••• and a sixth: so what? Case reports, case-series rep...

Awards and Competitions. What They Can Do and How They Can Do It