The case of the misleading funnel plot - PubMed (original) (raw)

Review

The case of the misleading funnel plot

Joseph Lau et al. BMJ. 2006.

Abstract

Evidence based medicine insists on rigorous standards to appraise clinical interventions. Failure to apply the same rules to its own tools could be equally damaging

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Figures

Fig 1

Effect of measure of precision (plotted on y axis) on appearance of funnel plots. Redrawn from Tang and Liu

Fig 2

Effect of grouping of data on impression of funnel plot for meta-analysis of inhaled disodium cromoglicate that found significant heterogeneity

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