Evidence Synthesis - Evolving Methodologies to Optimise Patient Care and Enhance Policy Decisions -- Barriers to Evidence Synthesis -- Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis in Clinical Practice -- Diagnostic Tests -- An Introduction to Decision Analysis -- An Introduction to Cost-Effectiveness Analysis -- Evidence synthesis using Bayesian Belief Networks.-  A Practical Introduction to Meta-Analysis -- Introduction -- A Practical Approach to Diagnostic Meta-Analysis -- Practical Examples of the Application of Decision Analysis in Healthcare -- A Practical Example of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis -- Exploring Bayesian Belief Networks Using Netica®.

Evidence Synthesis in Healthcare – a Practical Handbook for Clinicians is the first book to reveal the field of Evidence Synthesis, by combining multiple sources of quantitative and qualitative data to derive the best evidence for use in healthcare.  Through the use of clearly explained examples and practical explanations, Evidence Synthesis in Healthcare – a Practical Handbook for Clinicians describes the practical tools, techniques, uses and policy considerations of evidence synthesis techniques in modern healthcare practice.   Written and edited by recognised experts in the subject area, this book provides the reader with a compendium of knowledge and information. Evidence Synthesis in Healthcare – a Practical Handbook for Clinicians is a valuable reference tool for a broad audience of clinicians, policy-makers, healthcare statisticians and economists. It is relevant for both experts and beginners in the field of healthcare evidence, practice and policy.   Professor Lord Ara Darzi, HonFREng FMedSci, is the Head of Division of Surgery, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK. Professor Darzi was knighted by the Queen as a Knight Commander of the most excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) in December 2002.   Mr Thanos Athanasiou, PhD MD FETCS, is Reader in Surgery at Imperial College London, London, UK and Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Hammersmith and St Mary’s Hospitals, London, UK.