The goal is to develop commercially viable, comprehensive, and state-of-the-art computer software for performing meta-analyses of health care evidence. It will feature """"""""Analytic Wizards"""""""" to guide less experienced users through the analytic process and the interpretation of results. The software will also capitalize on innovations developed by the P.I. to provide a flexible and powerful platform for storing, retrieving, visualizing, and maintaining clinical studies data for meta-analyses. The software will employ these techniques to seamlessly integrate data management, analytical procedures and graphical functions. The goal in this STTR Phase I project is to investigate the feasibility of implementing """"""""Analytic Wizards"""""""" in the conduct of meta-analysis by performing analyses on a large number of data sets to derive rules for guiding the selection of appropriate analytic methods. These rules will then be integrated and tested in a prototype. Integrated meta-analysis software with guidance on the use of statistical procedures will simplify and standardize the production of meta-analyses, making it more efficient and reliable, and allowing the user to concentrate on the content rather than the mechanics of meta- analysis.
