Using Meta-Analysis to Plan Further Research

This chapter illustrates how value of information analysis can be applied to standard results of meta-analysis to inform a number of important policy questions, using a case study of corticosteroids after traumatic brain injury. Value of information analysis provides a framework to assess the need for additional evidence, the consequences of uncertainty, and the relative priority of alternative topics for research prioritization decisions. It can be used to establish: (1) whether the evidence currently available is sufficient to support the use of the intervention in practice, i.e., whether on balance the evidence from the meta-analysis suggests that the intervention achieves better outcomes than the available alternatives; (2) whether additional evidence might be needed to resolve uncertainty in the range of plausible values; (3) what type and design of research might resolve this uncertainty; (4) whether it would be better to withhold the intervention until additional evidence becomes available; and (5) whether any proposed research is considered a priority relative to other topics competing for the same resources.