The document provides an overview of CADTH Excel-based health technology assessment tools that have been developed or are in development. It summarizes NetMetaXL, an Excel-based tool for conducting network meta-analyses of dichotomous outcomes. The presentation includes a live demo of NetMetaXL and previews of three other CADTH Excel-based HTA tools.

1. CADTH Excel-Based HTA
Tools: Overview and
Application
Presenters: Chris Cameron, Michelle
Mujoomdar, Tammy Clifford, Brian Hutton
Date: Tuesday: April 13th, 2015

2. CADTH Excel based HTA Tools
Context: Overview of CADTH Excel based tools that have
been developed or are in development
• NetMetaXL is one product of this relationship
Overview of NetMetaXL:
• What is network meta-analysis (NMA)?
• Demonstration of how NetMetaXL works, how it can save
time, and help our future work in the realm of network meta-
analysis
Live Demo of 3 other CADTH Excel-based HTA tools in
development
1

3. CADTH Excel based HTA Tools
2
• Each CADTH Excel-based HTA Tools consists of:
• Short user guide and/or publication
• Freely available Excel-based HTA Tool for download
• Short YouTube video on how to use each tool
• Each CADTH Excel-based HTA Tool also:
• Undergoes a paid statistical/economic review beyond the
peer review process of journals
• Developed in collaboration with academic groups
NetMetaXL is the first in the suite of Excel-based tools under development.
Tools are available here: www.cadth.ca/en/resources/hta-excel-tools

4. NetMetaXL
3
Based on a Sept 29, 2014 manuscript published
in Systematic Reviews Journal….

5. NetMetaXL
4
NetMetaXL is the
first in the suite of
Excel-based tools
under development.
Tools are available
here:
www.cadth.ca/en/res
ources/hta-excel-
tools

6. NetMetaXL
5
If interested in trying....please download at :
netmetaxl.com. Then try the example in the paper, email
me for these slides, and/or watch for our instructive
YouTube video on CADTH’s YouTube channel....

7. NetMetaXL
6
The left depicts the ‘traditional pairwise’ approach...many
drugs=many MAs.
The right side depects NMA; a unified analysis to make multiple
pairwise comparisons using direct and indirect information

8. NetMetaXL
7
• Why do we need NetMetaXL?
• Bayesian NMA commonly performed using the freely
available WinBUGS software
• NOT user friendly
• Also need external software to prepare graphics for
papers; i.e. Slow process to go from analyses to
report generation/slide decks
• Makes NMA less accessible to the majority, and more
time consuming to report for everyone
• Example of what we mean....

10. NetMetaXL
9
• NetMetaXL allows us to avoid all this...
• Microsoft Excel serves as the user’s ‘front end’ for
inputting data and generating summaries of
results; the ‘back end’ is still WinBUGS, however
users are no longer required to work with it in any
way (automatically run by NetMetaXL)

11. NetMetaXL Screenshots
10

12. NetMetaXL Screenshots
Place to specify the duration of our ‘burn-in’ and ‘sampling’ periods for our network
meta-analyses, and some options about efforts to track model convergence (important
for obtaining reliable estimates)
Place where we tell NetMetaXL some instructions: where to find Winbugs to run
analyses; where to store data and results files; how to name these files

13. NetMetaXL Screenshots
12
Ensure to specify whether outcome is
‘good’ (e.g. Response) or ‘bad (e.g.
Death); has implications for ranking
measures
Input the ‘identifiers’
for each of your
eligible trials for
tracking purposes
(can use author
name, year, etc)
Input the outcome data for each of your eligible trials as follows:
1. Use the header row to indicate the names of each of the treatment
groups (e.g. ‘Medical’, ‘Cardiac resynchronisation’, etc)
2. Each treatment group has 2 columns to complete; # events in each
study, and # ptnts in each study. Fill these in for all treatments/studies.
3. Once complete, push the WinBUGS menu bar button; then push
‘Convert Data’ to set up the data set which will be passed to Winbugs
to run the network meta-analysis.

14. NetMetaXL Screenshots

15. NetMetaXL Screenshots

16. NetMetaXL Screenshots

17. NetMetaXL Screenshots
Select the model for which
you’d like to generate a league
table, and then click the ‘draw
step plot’ button
The estimate presents OR and
95% credible interval for each
pairwise comparison. Treatments
are ordered from lowest to
highest rank.

18. NetMetaXL Screenshots
• ~ 600 downloads of NetMetaXL
• ~5000 article downloads since publication Sept 29

19. NetMetaXL Screenshots

20. CADTH Excel based HTA Tools
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• CADTH Excel based Tools in development :
• NetMetaXL – Excel-based tool for conducting network
meta-analysis of dichotomous outcomes (released)
• ForestPlotXL – tool for producing publication quality forest
plots entirely within Excel (mid 2015)
• IconArrayXL – Excel-based tool for producing icon arrays
to depict absolute risks(mid 2015)
• MetaQoL – Excel-based tool for conducting meta-analysis
of quality of life data (mid 2015)

21. CADTH Excel based HTA Tools
20
• CADTH Excel based Tools in development :
• NetMetaXL for continuous outcomes – Excel-based tool
for conducting network meta-analysis of continuous
outcomes (Late 2015)
• Health economics toolkit – Excel-based tool for supporting
health economic evaluations
• CE Plane and Dominance Tool (mid 2015)
• CE Sensitivity Analysis and PSA Tool (late 2015)
• CE Value of Information analysis Tool (late 2015)
• Other data manipulation and extraction tools

22. Live Demos of 3 Tools
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• ForestPlotXL – tool for producing publication quality forest
plots entirely within Excel (mid 2015)
• IconArrayXL – Excel-based tool for producing icon arrays
to depict absolute risks(mid 2015)
• Health Economics Tool Kit – CE Plane and Dominance
Tool (mid 2015)

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