Res Synth Methods. 2026 Mar;17(2):293-313. doi: 10.1017/rsm.2025.10050. Epub 2025 Nov 13.
ABSTRACT
Bayesian hierarchical models offer a principled framework for adjusting for study-level bias in meta-analysis, but their complexity and sensitivity to prior specifications necessitate a systematic framework for robust application. This study demonstrates the application of a Bayesian workflow to this challenge, comparing a standard random-effects model to a bias-adjustment model across a real-world dataset and a targeted simulation study. The workflow revealed a high sensitivity of results to the prior on bias probability, showing that while the simpler random-effects model had superior predictive accuracy as measured by the widely applicable information criterion, the bias-adjustment model successfully propagated uncertainty by producing wider, more conservative credible intervals. The simulation confirmed the model’s ability to recover true parameters when priors were well-specified. These results establish the Bayesian workflow as a principled framework for diagnosing model sensitivities and ensuring the transparent application of complex bias-adjustment models in evidence synthesis.
PMID:41635950 | DOI:10.1017/rsm.2025.10050
