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Software for meta-analysis with correlated outcomes

Award Information
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Branch: National Institutes of Health
Contract: 1R44DA029351-01A1
Agency Tracking Number: DA029351
Amount: $150,444.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: NIDA
Solicitation Number: PHS2010-2
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2010
Award Year: 2010
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
BIOSTATISTICAL PROGRAMMING ASSOC, INC. 14 N DEAN ST
ENGLEWOOD, NJ 07631
United States
DUNS: 019939545
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 MICHAEL BORENSTEIN
 (201) 541-5688
 MICHAELB@POWERANDPRECISION.COM
Business Contact
 MICHAEL BORENSTEIN
Phone: (201) 541-5688
Email: MichaelB@PowerAndPrecision.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Meta-analysis is the statistical procedure employed to synthesize data from a series of studies. As such, it falls at the core of evidence-based policy in such fields as alcohol and substance abuse, medicine, social science, ecology, education, gerontology, among many others. The current generation of meta-analysis software is designed for the situation where each study contributes one (and only one) effect size to the analysis. However, many meta-analyses do incorporate studies that report more than one effect size. In particular, studies sometimes report effects for more than one outcome, for more than one time-point, and/or for more than one intervention. In these cases the standard formulas and software cannot be used, and there are no good options for performing the analysis. The only software that can be used in these cases requires a high level of statistical expertise, and additionally requires the user to provide information, such as the correlation matrix among outcomes, that the user is not likely to have. Therefore, as a practical matter, there are no good options for performing a meta-analysis involving more than one effect size. Under a series of earlier grants we developed a program for meta-analysis that is currently in use at some 10,000 institutions around the world, including thousands of hospitals, universities, and agencies such as the FDA, CDC, NIH, WHO, among many others. Our plan is to expand this to work with studies that report more than one effect size, and that will not require the user to supply a correlation matrix. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The current generation of software for meta-analysis can only be used when each study provides a single effect size. The goal of this project is to develop software for meta-analysis that can be used when some (or all) studies report an effect for multiple outcomes, time-points, or treatments. This software will not require the user to provide a correlation matrix among effects.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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