Identifying and Using a Credible Network Meta-analysis in Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology: A Clinician’s Guide

Network meta-analyses (NMAs) are an increasingly popular method in allergy, asthma, and immunology to inform comparative effectiveness among competing treatment options. They enable comparisons among treatments when no direct comparisons (ie, head-to-head randomized control trials) exist and strengthen inferences among direct comparisons by incorporating data from indirect comparisons. To inform optimal decision-making, allergy, asthma, and immunology clinicians, peer reviewers, journal editors, and policymakers must understand the fundamentals of how to assess NMA credibility. Through worked examples supporting American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology/American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Task Force on Practice Parameters guidelines, we summarize the process of conducting an NMA and how to interpret results to inform clinical decision-making.