= Solution
The <I-squared statistic> of $6.6\%$ is a small estimate of excess variation on the heterogeneity scale. It does not mean that $6.6\%$ of studies are different, nor that this percentage of patients responds differently. The <Cochran's Q statistic> compares the observed variation with that expected from the studies' sampling errors; its approximate null distribution has five degrees of freedom here. A heterogeneity-test <p-value> of $0.374$ provides no rejection of the common-effect hypothesis.
The individual <confidence intervals> in the <forest plot> overlap substantially, although some point estimates are larger than others. Taken together, \b[there is little evidence of between-study heterogeneity in these six studies]. Neither the nonsignificant test nor the small <I-squared statistic> proves equal effects: with only six studies, detecting moderate heterogeneity can be difficult. A study being individually significant while another is not is also not itself a test of their difference.
Back to article page
