st: RE: Question regarding meta-analysis for proportions.

["Forshee, Richard" <Richard.Forshee@fda.hhs.gov>]

Have you considered using exact binomial confidence intervals instead of the approximation to the Normal distribution? 


Richard A. Forshee

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu [mailto:owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu] On Behalf Of Nora Trabulsi
Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2011 2:36 PM
To: statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu
Subject: st: Question regarding meta-analysis for proportions.

Hi

I am doing a meta analysis on proportions of patients responding to specific treatment. I generated p(proportions) and  se(standard errors). Then , I used the metan command:

metan p se, random

The problem that I have encountered is that two of the studies that are included in the analysis had a response rate of 100%, however, they were small in size, 4 and 5 patients only. So this generated a problem as they had standard errors = zero and they were excluded form the analysis and forest plot.

I tried to use the inverse weight command before running metan:

gen cons=1
vwls p cons, sd(se)

but it would still address the same problem, that std error theta cannot be negative or zero.

Any idea how to solve this problem, or is it justifiable to remove those 2 studies from the analysis?

Thanks

Nora Trabulsi

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