Including Individual Participant Data in Meta-analysis

Abstract

This chapter introduces methods for including individual participant data in a traditional meta-analysis. Since meta-analyses use data aggregated to the study, there is potential for aggregation bias, finding relationships between the effect size and study characteristics that may hold only at the level of the study. The potential of aggregation bias may limit the application of meta-analysis results to practice and policy. This chapter provides an example of including publicly available data in a traditional meta-analysis.