A comparison of seven random‐effects models for meta‐analyses that estimate the summary odds ratio

Comparative trials that report binary outcome data are commonly pooled in systematic reviews and meta‐analyses. This type of data can be presented as a series of 2‐by‐2 tables. The pooled odds ratio is often presented as the outcome of primary interest in the resulting meta‐analysis. We examine the use of 7 models for random‐effects meta‐analyses that have been proposed for this purpose. The first of these models is the conventional one that...