If you are not familiar with R, you can access the core features of this package on your web browser on its dedicated website.
The metaumbrella package offers several facilities to assist in data analysis when performing an umbrella review. This package is built around three core functions which aim to facilitate (i) the completion of the statistical analyses required for an umbrella review (via the umbrella() function), (ii) the stratification of the evidence (via the add.evidence() function) and (iii) the graphical presentation of the results (via the forest() function).
First, the umbrella() function automatically performs meta-analyses and additional calculations needed for an umbrella review. It outputs an object of class umbrella. The advantage of this function over standard R packages only designed for fitting a single meta-analysis lies, for example, in the possibility of automatically fitting several meta-analyses when input information differs, automatically extracting the necessary information to stratify the evidence, and automatically performing the additional tests needed (a test for excess significance bias, a test for publication bias and a jackknife leave-one-out analysis).
Second, the add.evidence() function stratifies the evidence generated by the umbrella() function according to a set of pre-specified classifications (the classification proposed by Prof. Ioannidis or an algorithmic version of GRADE classification), or according to a personalized classification that the users may specify manually. This feature allows users to rely on already developed criteria or to develop new ones that match the specific needs of an umbrella review.
Third, the forest() function creates graphical representations of the results of an umbrella review, including a forest plot along with information on the stratification of evidence.
You can install the released version of metaumbrella from CRAN with:
The metaumbrella package was written by Corentin J Gosling, Aleix Solanes, Paolo Fusar-Poli and Joaquim Radua. It is licensed under the GNU General Public License.
You can use metaumbrella for free… but please cite our work ;-)
Citation AMA: Gosling CJ, Solanes A, Fusar-Poli P, Radua J. metaumbrella: the first comprehensive suite to perform data analysis in umbrella reviews with stratification of the evidence. BMJ Ment Health. 2023;26(1):e300534.
Citation APA: Gosling, C.J., Solanes, A., Fusar-Poli, P., & Radua, J. (2023). metaumbrella: the first comprehensive suite to perform data analysis in umbrella reviews with stratification of the evidence. BMJ mental health, 26(1), e300534.
To obtain a bibtex version of this citation in R, type