*! version 1.1 8jun2015

Title

network import -- import data for network meta-analysis

Syntax

network import [if] [in]
[,
options]

Compulsory 'options' describing the data
studyvar(varname) The variable containing the study name

Compulsory 'options' describing the data - pairwise format
treat(varlist) The two variables containing the two treatments being compared

effect(varname) A stub variable containing the point estimate of the comparison

stderr(varname) The variable containing the standard error of the comparison

Compulsory 'options' describing the data - augmented format
effect(stub) Variables stub_* contain the point estimates
of the comparisons with reference, where * represents treatments

variance(stub) Variables stub_*_* contain the variances and covariances
of the estimates, where each * represents treatments

ref(string) Specifies the reference treatment

Optional options for augmented format
mult(#) A study is deemed not to contain the reference treatment
(i.e. to have been augmented)
if all its observed variances and covariances are larger than this multiple of the smallest variance.
Default is 1000.

trtlist(string) List of treatments to be included.
Not usually needed.

Other options
ref(string) Specifies the reference treatment (in case of future conversion to augmented format)

measure(string) Names the measure used (e.g. log odds ratio, mean difference). This is used only to label output.

genprefix(string) Prefix to be used before default variable names (e.g. y for treatment contrasts)

gensuffix(string) Suffix to be used after default variable names

Description

network import imports a data set already formatted for network meta-analysis.
The data may be in

"pairs" format - a data set of pairwise comparisons as described at
http://www.mtm.uoi.gr/index.php/stata-routines-for-network-meta-analysis.
Here, each two-arm study is represented by a single record in the usual way,
but a multi-arm study is represented by one record for each pairwise contrast in that study.
network import infers a set of contrasts with a baseline treatment, and
using the standard errors of the pairwise contrasts,
it also infers the correct variance-covariance matrix of the set of contrasts.

"augmented" format - a data set of contrasts with a common reference treatment.

Any other variables are kept. Usually this will be fine,
but if you have a covariate which varies between data records
(as could happen when importing multi-arm studies in a "pairs" format)
then the results are likely to be wrong.

Examples

Use data stored at http://www.mtm.uoi.gr/images/example_datasets.rar:

. use "coronary artery disease pairwise.dta", clear

. network import, tr(t1 t2) eff(logOR) study(study) stderr(se)

. network meta consistency

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