Table 6.

Summary of steps involved in NMA

Step	Further information/considerations	Additional resources
Systematic literature review	Prospective registration with PROSPERO Well-defined research question using the PICOS framework Searches carried out using a pre-defined search string (specific to each database) Systematic inclusion/exclusion of studies per the research question	PROSPERO: [36] Cochrane handbook: [38]
Data extraction and network generation	Quality/risk of bias assessment Treatment network defined	RoB 2 tool: [40] Cochrane handbook: [26]
Assessment of NMA assumptions	Similarity: similarity in PICOS criteria of all included studies Transitivity: no systematic differences in the distribution of effect modifiers between included studies Consistency: agreement between direct and indirect evidence within the network Homogeneity: no imbalances in PICOS across direct and indirect comparisons within the network	Cochrane handbook: [26]
Conducting an NMA	Appropriate statistical model used for the available data and/or any specific country requirements Justified use of FE vs RE methods Appropriate presentation of results   For frequentist analysis: estimates of effects and corresponding 95% CIs and associated p-values   For Bayesian analysis: estimates of effects and corresponding 95% CrIs	Cochrane handbook: [26] Bucher 1997: [47] Netmeta: [74] NICE DSU: [12]
Interpretation of NMA findings	Appropriate and careful interpretation of findings   For frequentist analysis: ranking of treatments through p-scores. Can be interpreted as statistical significance or absence thereof   For Bayesian analysis: ranking of treatments through SUCRA. No significance testing Use of the GRADE framework to assess the confidence in the evidence	Cochrane handbook: [26] NMA worked example for clinicians: [75] GRADE resources: [69, 70]
Reporting of NMA findings	Communicated following the PRISMA guidelines for NMA	PRISMA: [37]

CI confidence interval, CrI credible interval, FE fixed effects, GRADE Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation, NICE National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, NMA network meta-analysis, PICOS population, intervention, comparator, outcome(s) and setting, PRISMA Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, RE random effects, RoB risk of bias, SUCRA surface under the cumulative ranking curve