RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Meta-analysis: Its strengths and limitations JF Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine JO Cleve Clin J Med FD Cleveland Clinic SP 431 OP 439 VO 75 IS 6 A1 Walker, Esteban A1 Hernandez, Adrian V. A1 Kattan, Michael W. YR 2008 UL http://www.ccjm.org/content/75/6/431.abstract AB Nowadays, doctors face an overwhelming amount of information, even in narrow areas of interest. In response, reviews designed to summarize the large volumes of information are frequently published. When a review is done systematically, following certain criteria, and the results are pooled and analyzed quantitatively, it is called a meta-analysis. A well-designed meta-analysis can provide valuable information for researchers, policymakers, and clinicians. However, there are many critical caveats in performing and interpreting them, and thus many ways in which meta-analyses can yield misleading information.