Development of an interactive web-based tool to conduct and interrogate meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies: MetaDTA

Freeman, S. C., Kerby, C. R., Patel, A., Cooper, N. J., Quinn, T. and Sutton, A. J. (2019) Development of an interactive web-based tool to conduct and interrogate meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies: MetaDTA. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 19(1), 81. (doi: 10.1186/s12874-019-0724-x) (PMID:30999861) (PMCID:PMC6471890)

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Abstract

BACKGROUND:Recommended statistical methods for meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies require relatively complex bivariate statistical models which can be a barrier for non-statisticians. A further barrier exists in the software options available for fitting such models. Software accessible to non-statisticians, such as RevMan, does not support the fitting of bivariate models thus users must seek statistical support to use R, Stata or SAS. Recent advances in web technologies make analysis tool creation much simpler than previously. As well as accessibility, online tools can allow tailored interactivity not found in other packages allowing multiple perspectives of data to be displayed and information to be tailored to the user's preference from a simple interface. We set out to: (i) Develop a freely available web-based "point and click" interactive tool which allows users to input their DTA study data and conduct meta-analyses for DTA reviews, including sensitivity analyses. (ii) Illustrate the features and benefits of the interactive application using an existing DTA meta-analysis for detecting dementia. METHODS:To create our online freely available interactive application we used the existing R packages lme4 and Shiny to analyse the data and create an interactive user interface respectively. RESULTS:MetaDTA, an interactive online application was created for conducting meta-analysis of DTA studies. The user interface was designed to be easy to navigate having different tabs for different functions. Features include the ability for users to enter their own data, customise plots, incorporate quality assessment results and quickly conduct sensitivity analyses. All plots produced can be exported as either .png or .pdf files to be included in report documents. All tables can be exported as .csv files. CONCLUSIONS:MetaDTA, is a freely available interactive online application which meta-analyses DTA studies, plots the summary ROC curve, incorporates quality assessment results and allows for sensitivity analyses to be conducted in a timely manner. Due to the rich feature-set and user-friendliness of the software it should appeal to a wide audience including those without specialist statistical knowledge. We encourage others to create similar applications for specialist analysis methods to encourage broader uptake which in-turn could improve research quality.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:The Complex Reviews Support Unit is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (project number 14/178/29). AP is funded by a National Institute for Health Research Systematic Review Fellowship.
Keywords:Application, meta-analysis, diagnostic test accuracy.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Quinn, Professor Terry
Authors: Freeman, S. C., Kerby, C. R., Patel, A., Cooper, N. J., Quinn, T., and Sutton, A. J.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health
Journal Name:BMC Medical Research Methodology
Publisher:BioMed Central
ISSN:1471-2288
ISSN (Online):1471-2288
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2019 The Authors
First Published:First published in BMC Medical Research Methodology 19(1):81
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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