%0 Journal Article
%T An appraisal of meta-analysis guidelines: how do they relate to safety outcomes?
%A Bennetts M
%A Whalen E
%A Ahadieh S
%A Cappelleri JC
%J Res Synth Methods
%V 8
%N 1
%D Mar 2017
%M 27612447
%F 9.308
%R 10.1002/jrsm.1219
%X Although well developed to assess efficacy questions, meta-analyses and, more generally, systematic reviews, have received less attention in application to safety-related questions. As a result, many open questions remain on how best to apply meta-analyses in the safety setting. This appraisal attempts to: (i) summarize the current guidelines for assessing individual studies, systematic reviews, and network meta-analyses; (ii) describe several publications on safety meta-analytic approaches; and (iii) present some of the questions and issues that arise with safety data. A number of gaps in the current quality guidelines are identified along with issues to consider when performing a safety meta-analysis. While some work is ongoing to provide guidance to improve the quality of safety meta-analyses, this review emphasizes the critical need for better reporting and increased transparency regarding safety data in the systematic review guidelines. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.