The Cochrane Library: A Resource for Clinical Problem Solving in Emergency Medicine

Figure. Graphic display of CDSR data. Oral or intramuscular cortico-steroids for the treatment of acute asthma after ED discharge: analysis of short-term (7 to 10 days) relapse rates. Each study is represented by the point estimate for the outcome in question and by confidence intervals on either side of that value. The vertical line corresponds to an odds ratio (OR) of 1.0; studies where the confidence interval crosses the 1.0 line demonstrate no statistically significant difference between the groups (ie, those receiving corticosteroids versus those receiving placebo). Values to the left and not crossing the vertical line indicate a benefit of cortico-steroids. Values to the right and not crossing the vertical line indicate that patients receiving placebo had better outcomes than those receiving corticosteroids. The 2 large horizontal diamonds at the bottom of the figure correspond to the pooled results of the individual studies with narrower confidence intervals. They reflect slightly different statistical approaches to pooling the data. In the Cochrane Library MetaView, the user may vary the methods of statistical analysis or rearrange the order of the individual studies with respect to criteria such as study quality or year of publication. (Adapted with permission from Rowe BH, Spooner CH, Ducharme FM, et al: The effectiveness of corticosteroids in the treatment of acute exacerbations of asthma: A meta-analysis of their effect on relapse following acute assessment [Cochrane Review]. In: Cochrane Collaboration, issue 1. Oxford, United Kingdom: Update Software, 1999.)