3.3.8 Sensitivity analysis in meta-analysis

As there are many decisions involved in meta-analyses it is important to perform a sensitivity analysis in order to explore the impact of different decisions on results. For example, one sensitivity analysis may explore the impact of using different meta-analysis models. Another sensitivity analysis may explore the impact of excluding or including studies in meta-analysis based on sample size, methodological quality, or variance. If results remain consistent across the different analyses, the results can be considered robust as even with different decisions they remain the same/similar. If the results differ across sensitivity analyses, this is an indication that the result may need to be interpreted with caution.