Estimating required information size by quantifying diversity in random-effects model meta-analyses

BackgroundThere is increasing awareness that meta-analyses require a sufficiently large information size to detect or reject an anticipated intervention effect. The required information size in a meta-analysis may be calculated from an anticipated a priori intervention effect or from an intervention effect suggested by trials with low-risk of bias.MethodsInformation size calculations need to consider the total model variance in a meta-analysis …