Publication biases and collection limitations are the main disadvantages of a traditional meta-analysis based on aggregate patient data(APD)from published articles.Individual patient data(IPD)meta-analysis,as the gold standard of systematic review,is a possible alternative in this context.However,the publications relative to IPD meta-analyses are still rare compared with the traditional ones,especially in the research oriented to Chinese medicine(CM).In this article,the strengths and detailed functioning of IPD meta-analysis are described.Furthermore,the need for IPD meta-analysis to assess the treatments based on CM was also discussed.Compared with the traditional APD meta-analysis,the IPD meta-analysis might give a more accurate and unbiased assessment and is worth to be recommended to CM researchers.
