- 21 Apr 2020, 03:21
#4123
Hi Shonitha,
Firstly, I am glad to see someone who is interested in meta-analysis and keep up the spirit. It's an interesting question though.
As per my knowledge is concerned, forest plots should not be generated that contain no studies, and are discouraged when only a single study is found for a particular outcome. To display outcomes that have been investigated only in single studies, authors can use a forest plot using a subgroup for each outcome (ensuring that the option to pool the data is disabled). Otherwise, the results of single studies may more conveniently be presented in an additional table.
According to the Cochrane Handbook of SR & MA, if there is only one included study, in this case, authors should consider presenting the results in a table, rather than in a series of forest plots. Avoid drawing strong conclusions from single studies at unclear or high risk of bias.
Hope this helps.
shonitha wrote: ↑19 Apr 2020, 18:26 Can a forest plot be conducted for one study, if yes, what is the significance of that?@shonitha
Hi Shonitha,
Firstly, I am glad to see someone who is interested in meta-analysis and keep up the spirit. It's an interesting question though.
As per my knowledge is concerned, forest plots should not be generated that contain no studies, and are discouraged when only a single study is found for a particular outcome. To display outcomes that have been investigated only in single studies, authors can use a forest plot using a subgroup for each outcome (ensuring that the option to pool the data is disabled). Otherwise, the results of single studies may more conveniently be presented in an additional table.
According to the Cochrane Handbook of SR & MA, if there is only one included study, in this case, authors should consider presenting the results in a table, rather than in a series of forest plots. Avoid drawing strong conclusions from single studies at unclear or high risk of bias.
Hope this helps.
Dr. Sai Krishna Gudi