High statistical heterogeneity is more frequent in meta-analysis of continuous than binary outcomes

OBJECTIVES: We compared the distribution of heterogeneity in meta-analyses of binary and continuous outcomes. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We searched citations in MEDLINE and Cochrane databases for meta-analyses of randomized trials published in 2012 that reported a measure of heterogeneity of either binary or continuous outcomes. Two reviewers independently performed eligibility screening and data abstraction. We evaluated the distribution of …