metamedian: An R package for meta‐analyzing studies reporting medians

Abstract

AbstractWhen performing an aggregate data meta‐analysis of a continuous outcome, researchers often come across primary studies that report the sample median of the outcome. However, standard meta‐analytic methods typically cannot be directly applied in this setting. In recent years, there has been substantial development in statistical methods to incorporate primary studies reporting sample medians in meta‐analysis, yet there are currently no comprehensive software tools implementing these methods. In this paper, we present the metamedian R package, a freely available and open‐source software tool for meta‐analyzing primary studies that report sample medians. We summarize the main features of the software and illustrate its application through real data examples involving risk factors for a severe course of COVID‐19.